I See the Light
by LostGirl112
Summary: On the search for the brother she never knew existed, Elle discovers the town of Storybrooke and the many secrets it holds.
1. Chapter 1

I See the Light

Boston

She stared down at the yellow clamp attached to the back of her front left tire. Her wiper fastened all 13 tickets close against her windshield. The older tickets had turned a dull brown from the week's constant rain. The pier along the parking lot was empty. In the summer, yachts would line up along the sides, extending their flags high. But the air had become crisp overnight and the leaves had begun to change into their deep autumn colors, leaving the waters along Boston to become less restricted.

A small meow from beneath the car made the girl kneel down to extend a hand. The small orange tabby cat appeared through the shadows nuzzling its head into the palm of the girl's hand.

"Look what I got you, Oliver." The girl opened her backpack to reveal a small can of cat food with a pop off lid. Leaving the cat to feast, the girl opened the trunk of the car to store the valuables in her backpack.

The right side of the trunk housed the 2 pairs of jeans and 3 total sweaters she owned. There was one plastic bag of shirts she had nicked from a boutique on the North End of Boston, but the shoplift was too recent to be walking around the city with the items on. The left side of the trunk housed her food supply. Dumping the remaining items from her bag, the girl added a box of crackers, granola bars, pop tarts, and 2 more cans of cat food to the left side.

The girl opened the back seat of the car to crawl into. Oliver hopped in, waiting for the girl to get comfortable before nesting. Looking through the window opposite of her, she watched the dark clouds overhead move slowly over the stars in the night sky. She closed her eyes and fell asleep to the sound of the city behind her.

She tried to ignore the tapping on the window, but soon gave up when a bright light flashed into her car. A familiar face appeared at the window she had just been staring out of as the flashlight went dark.

"What did I do this time?" She groaned, trying to cover her face with her army jacket that had turned into a pillow for the night.

"Come on, Elle. Out of the car. I think you know why I'm here."

Slowly opening the door and staring up with an innocent face, one that she had mastered through the years. "What's the problem, officer?"

"Mr. O'Malley reported a young brunette running out of his store today with a backpack full of his merchandise."

"There are a lot of brunettes in Boston. But I'm flattered I was the first one you thought of. I know I'm your favorite. Sad to say, I was nowhere near O'Malley's today."

The officer took his cap off to run his fingers through his short brown hair that had hidden strands of grey growing on the sides. "He did have a few cans of cat food stolen. And there I thought, who would be desperate enough to do that."

"That's all you got? Cat food plus brunette girl equals Elle? I'm starting to feel like you're just making excuses at this point." Elle expressed a tight, taunting grin at the officer.

He knelt down and picked up the empty can of cat food that was left next to the clamp on her car. "So, this is just coincidence then?"

"I _was_ going to clean that up."

"You have 3 choices. One, come down and own up to you shoplifting. 48 hours' max in the cell. Two, come down and pay for your tickets. I say you're looking at about $750… more likely $1,000. Three, come down and own up for littering. That will be about $200."

"Really, Booth? You'd go so low and charge me for the can on the ground."

"Kid, I'm just trying to look out for you. Always have, always will. Oh, yeah. Options 2 and 3 are kind of tied into number 1."

"I will one condition." Elle lifted up one finger sternly as the Officer Booth looked at her in disbelief. "You're not in a place to negotiate."

"Please, don't let them take Oliver away again." Elle lightly scratched the top of her orange tabby's head. The officer reached his hand out for hers. "I promise he will be waiting for you when you get out."

"Turner. Elizabeth Turner."

Elle was almost embarrassed to stand up. The other 3 women she had been sharing the cell with were already in before she had been booked. "Huh?"

"Are you Elizbeth Turner?" The officer looked as if she had a long night and zero patience. "Yes? Am I getting moved to another cell or…"

"You're done. Your bail was taken care of." Elle did not move an inch. The 8 pairs of eyes continue to stare at her as if she were insane. Any other person would jump at the opportunity and run out before the police had caught the mistake.

"I've only been in here a couple of hours. I'm supposed to be here for another day and a half."

"Your bail has been taken care of. If your plans were to sit on a bench for the next couple of days, be my guest. But not here. Let's go."

Elle awkwardly stood up and walked out looking around waiting for someone to tell her she was on a prank show. The officer guided her to the front, where she pawned Elle off to another officer behind a glass window. The officer slid a manila envelope through the glass opening and began reading off a list.

"One Backpack. One iPhone. One swiss army knife. $2.43 in change. One Book. One tank top. One bracelet. One bottle of water…"

She quickly took the bracelet and placed it around her wrist. It was the only thing she had from childhood. The only thing she was found with. A simple silver bracelet with her name _Elizabeth_ scrolled across a bar above ocean waves.

Elle looked into her backpack to find a large leather bound book. The title _Once Upon a Time_ was written in gold scroll around the front. "Excuse me, this isn't mine."

"If it's on the list then it's yours."

"I think I would remember coming in with a 50 lb. book. This isn't mine. There must have been a mess up."

The officer reread her list impatiently and the let her fingers scan the page with her eyes. She slapped the paper copy of the list against the wall window to show Elle her proof. "I was working last night when you came in, sweetie. I don't mess up."

Elle read all of the materials she came in with, including the book, when she came into the precinct at 10:34 PM the night before. She held the book in both her hands and felt a small vibration buzz through her finger tips and up her arms. Taking a few small steps toward the exit, the officer stopped Elle.

"Wait you have one more item." The officer slide Elle's Massachusetts license underneath the window opening. "Happy Birthday."

Elle walked to the waiting area of the prescient and sat down with the book on her lap. A small cloud of dust escaped from the bookas she opened to a random page. Skimming through the pages, Elle waited to find a picture that interested her and scan the words for an idea of the story. "Fairytales."

She stared at picture of Snow White curled into her Prince's arms, scared on their wedding day. Confused as to why someone would leave this behind in her name, Elle quickly skimmed to the beginning to see if there was any dedication or someone's book ownership signature. Nothing. A thick, brightly colored piece of paper flew out between pages as Elle scanned the page numbers.

Elle picked up what looked like a postcard with a large clock tower on the front. Large yellow block letters spelled out Storybrooke over the clock tower with the state Maine in smaller letters below. Flipping over the card, Elle had found a note written to her.

" _Elizabeth,_

 _Family always finds each other._

 _Your big brother, Henry"_

"I have a brother?"

Elle was the only one driving on the single lane road. The drive to Storybrooke, Maine was only 2 hours from Boston. She didn't think it could hurt dropping in to meet the brother she never knew existed. The family that she never knew existed.

The GPS on her phone highlighted the path to turn right at the next four-way stop. She soon discovered the road led into dense forest surroundings. "Stay on Route for 2.3 miles." Elle gripped the steering wheel tighter with anticipation.

She had so many questions. How did he know about her? How did she not know about him? Did he know her parents? What were they like? Why did they abandon her? Why was he just reaching out to her now? How did he get the book to her? Was he the one to bail her out of jail?

Elle found herself at a three way stop with the only options to turn right or left. Signs ahead pointed left with labels of "Town Hall", "Main Street", and "Sheriff's office". Signs pointing right read, "Storybrooke Park" and "Dock". Taking a left-hand turn, Elle slowly entered Main Street to find small shops lined along the road.

Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met the clock tower; the same tower that stood tall on the face of the postcard. Finding an open parking spot along the street, Elle slid her book into her backpack and stepped of her car.

Large neon lights pointed down on a two-story house labeled _Granny's._ Elle froze entering the diner. Only four customers filled the space, sitting in their separate seats and booths. Everyone had the same emotionless expression, sipping their coffee or picking at their plates. But soon Elle felt the hot spotlight beam down on her as all eyes focused on her. "Can I help you, Sweetie?"

Elle turned her attention to the older woman behind the counter with a notepad in her hand. An annoyed young girl stood beside her in bright red, popping a large bubble of gum. Elle made her way to the counter in all hopes that the customers would refocus on their lunch.

"I was wondering if you would be able to help me find someone." Trying to contain her excitement, Elle eagerly pulled the postcard out of her backpack; ignoring the crumpled receipts and loose change falling to the floor from her front bag pocket. She watched the older woman read over the postcard and the young lady peering over her grandma's shoulder.

"Henry... I don't know any Henry. But he might know." The young girl's smile grew wide as she twirled her hair. "Afternoon Sheriff." The grandmother gestured the postcard to the dirty blonde haired man walking into the diner from the back hallway. His blue eyes gave a wink to the young girl as he took a seat on one of the stools along the bar.

"I'll just take a coffee today, Ruby." The Sheriff gave Elle a second look making her cringe with the attention she didn't ask for yet again. Granny leaned casually over the counter sliding the postcard to the Sheriff. "She's looking for a Henry. Ring any bells?"

He took the time to study the card. Scratching the small scruff on his chin, he flipped the card over to look at the picture on the cover. Elle impatiently tapped her fingers on the counter top. It wasn't a good sign that the name wasn't registering with the town people.

"Ruby, make my coffee to go." Ruby dumped the filled mug into a Styrofoam cup and watched as the Sheriff stand with purpose. He turned to Elle with one hand stretched out. "I didn't seem to catch your name. I'm Sheriff Nolan." Elle couldn't make eye contact as her eyes searched for the only thing connecting her to her brother asthe sheriff slid the card into his jacket pocket.

"Elle. Do you know Henry?" Her dry response and refusal to meet his floating hand took the sheriff back a step.

"Unfortunately, no. But I know where to look into this. Do you mind taking a trip with me to town hall?"

Elle reluctantly followed Nolan to his sheriff's vehicle and looked back to see Oliver lying patiently beneath her red car. "It's only a couple of blocks from here." Nolan turned into Main Street, driving into streets that Elle had yet to explore.

"Is he your boyfriend or something?" Elle was caught off guard by the question as she was focusing her attention on the small craftsman homes that aligned the streets. "Oh, no. Just an old friend, I guess. Are you sure you don't know any Henry in this town?"

"Henry isn't the most common name now a day. But I know we will find what we need here." They drove into the parking lot of a bright yellow building. A few apple trees accented the landscaping with bright green apples hanging from the branches. Walking through the entrance, Elle followed Nolan down steps leading into the basement of the hall.

Nolan walked his way down the hallway, following the signs that were labeled "Town Records." A short man sat behind the counter playing a game on his phone as his fingers motioned back and forth with tension. The sheriff cleared his throat to grab his attention andthe man quickly hid his phone trying to make his way to the counter as fast as he could. His ears and cheeks began to turn bright red. "Sheriff, I- I didn't see you there. What can I do for you?"

"Do you have any records on a resident named Henry?"

"Uh- Yeah. Do you have a last name?" Nolan turned to Elle waiting for her to respond, but she couldn't. She didn't even know his last name. She tried to speak but choked. Looking clueless at the Sheriff, Elle quickly made eyes with the floor in pure embarrassment. She was wasting the Sheriff's time to look up someone she never met, she didn't know the last name of, and she didn't even know lived in this Storybrooke.

"No need. We have one Henry in Storybrooke. A Henry Mills. And it looks like you're not the only one interested in him. The mayor checked his file out just recently."

"Thanks, Morty." Morty's cheeks turned bright red as he gave a timid smile.

Elle followed Nolan up the stairs to the third floor as she sounded her name out in her head- _Elizabeth Mills. Elle Mills._ With a gentle knock on the door, the sheriff walked right into the mayor's office. "Madame Mayor, do you have a second to chat?" The mayor had spun in her chair to face the sheriff and Elle with a curious expression across her face.

"David, how good to see you. What can I do for you… and your new friend?" Elle slightly tilted her head to side in interest as she listened to the tone of voice coming from the mayor. Something that many people did not know about Elle was that she was a great judge of character. From growing up in foster homes, moving from city to city, and always needing to find new convenient friends, Elle had grown to learn the art of knowing someone within the first 10 seconds of meeting them. Some would compare her to a dog- knowing if someone is good or bad by just being near them. She always liked to think of it as a superpower.

Tilting her head and watching the mayor uncomfortably shift in her chair while she looked Elle up and down sent red flags to Elle's mind. The mayor's thick red hair in loose curls shaped the face of a woman who looked like she was trying to play nice when she really just wanted answers.

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but we have Elle here. She's looking for a friend of hers, but it seems that you have some of the information that we could use to find him. Is there any way we can grab a quick look?" The mayor continued to stare at Elle in curiosity. Being uncomfortable with the attention from the diner did not compare to the eyes the mayor had on Elle.

"Friend?" The mayor had refocused her attention on David. Her stern, cold eyes began to shimmer with fear. "Yes, a Henry Mills? I believe you have the file on him?" Her eyes darted back to Elle as the fear began to slowly creep in more. Elle could tell she was not overthinking the attention the mayor was giving her as David began to look confused as his eyes darted back and forth between the mayor and Elle..

The mayor opened the top of drawer of her desk and pulled out a couple of folders; one being thicker than the rest. "I think you may be right, Sheriff. I've been updating our systems recently. Trying to upload some of our older files." She began to look through the names on each folder, slowly making her way down to the thickest folder. While it seemed as if she were purposely taking too long to read through the files, David tried to fill in the awkward silence.

"She's always good about updating the latest information here at the hall. Mayor Hamilton is in her current third term; unopposed of course." Elle looked around the room admiring the different plaques and awards dedicated to the Ms. Victoria Hamilton. The mayor finally plopped the thickest folder in front of her. "Henry Mills. What would you like to know?"

Elle could feel her legs and hands starting to shake. This was it. She could finally meet her brother. David stepped forward to see if he could make out any of the information upside down. "Well, I guess his address would be the best help."

The mayor lightly scanned the words below impatiently, pulling the folder closer to her chest; out of David's sight. "No known address. I'm sorry." She began to the close the file, but David took another step closer. "How about a phone number? Somewhere he works? Anything?"

Elle watched Victoria look down at the file, but her eyes did not trace the paper. Elle watched as her eyes stay concentrated on the edge of her desk. She closed the folder once again and placed it firmly out of reach. "I'm sorry to say, but it looks as if this Henry passed away 5 years ago."

Victoria forced a sad, sympathetic smile and continued to place the folder back in her top drawer; this time locking it with a key. David looked back at Elle with apologies in his eyes.

"There's nothing? Not even anything about his parents or his family…but that doesn't make sense. How could he have-" Victoria leaned forward in suspicion, causing Elle to stop midsentence. "How could he have what dear?" Again, Elle tilted her head to the side analyzing the way the mayor perked up with eyes that could pass for having flames replace her pupils. David slid the postcard from his pocket to Victoria to read. She quickly grabbed the card off her desk.

"There's no stamp. How did he give this to you if there's no stamp?"

"It was just waiting for me."

"Where were you?" The mayor was becoming too aggressive for Elle's liking. Elle awkwardly looked away, trying not see the reaction of the Sheriff when she answered "a precinct in Boston".

"And this is it? He didn't give you anything else? Just this?" Her eyes were wide, begging to learn more. Elle had thought of the storybook, but her superpower told her to not speak of it at all. "No, just the postcard."

Victoria's shoulders relaxed as if she took in one big sigh of relief. She slid the card back to Elle across the table and leaned back in her chair. "Well, I am very sorry that you have to find out about your friend this way. I wish I knew how he gave you the card, but I think that question will remain unanswered." She looked at the clock overhead and forced a dramatic sigh.

"And it is getting to be later than expected. I wouldn't want you driving back to Boston at night. These roads can be dangerous. So I would assume you would be on your way." Elle responded in a light head nod as her eyes continued to stare at Henry's signature. She had driven all this way, she had allowed herself to actually be hopeful of a happy outcome. Time after time, Elle would have to remind herself that happy endings don't exist. They just were not in the cards for her. She tucked the postcard into her jacket pocket and stood looking to David to drive her back to her own car.

"I do appreciate you making the drive up here and I do hope you liked our small town. Best of luck and safe travels." The mayor reached her hand out to shake Elle's. As they shook hands, Elle couldn't help but notice that her soft, sorrowful tone did not match the look of victory in the mayor's eyes.

With a quick, awkwardly silent, drive back to Main Street, Elle said her goodbyes to David and watched him drive back toward the sheriff's station. Elle forgot how useless it was to depend on the clock tower for time as it remained frozen. She could tell it was later as some stores began to close and more town's people walked into Granny's for early dinner.

Letting Oliver back into the car, Elle took hold of the steering wheel once more and began to drive back to Boston. Passing more shops and craftsman homes, Elle soon came to the three-way stop. Turning right to drive toward the town line, Oliver had crawled over the seats and began to peer his head into Elle's pocket. His tugging on her jacket pocket made her swatting him away end with a claw to her hand. Taking a hard break at the town line, Elle shook out the sting in her hand and found four scratch marks left behind. "Damn it, Oliver!"

Oliver pulled the postcard from her pocket and nudged it deeper into her lap. Looking down at the card, Elle couldn't help but think of the file. It was so thick that it had to have something on her brother. At this point, she would take any information. There must have been something about her family, their parents, her history. Elle began to tap the steering wheel with her fingers impatiently thinking about the mayor. She couldn't help fight her gut feeling that something was off.

"I don't know about you, Oliver, but I think we could stay just a little longer." Oliver let out a small purr has his head nuzzled against the hand he had just scratched. Elle turned her car around and headed back to Main Street. Driving some of the side streets off of the main, Elle came to the bed and breakfast attached to the back of Granny's diner.

Hiding Oliver into her backpack, Elle walked in to find a check-in book covered in dust and cobwebs. With a small ding of the service bell, Granny came rushing from the back hallway. "You again! Deciding to stay?"

Elle couldn't help but smile at the warm hospitality coming from Granny. "Yeah, just one week. That's all." Granny brushed the dust off the books and began filling out paperwork. "We don't get a lot of visitors here. Don't mind the dust." Granny pushed the book forward for Elle to sign. "You will be in room number eight. Great view of the town square." Granny handed over an old fashion key with a thick metal tag attached of intricate flowers and swans.

Closing the door behind her, Elle quickly opened her backpack to let Oliver roam free. She didn't remember the last time she had slept on a real bed. The past year, her back had become accustomed to cheap couches and car back seats. She lightly bounced on the mattress to feel the comfort and support. "No bad."

Within seconds, Elle's eyelids grew heavy. From staying awake in a holding cell all night, driving to Storybrooke, running around town trying to find her brother, to learning that her dreams were just that; Elle was beginning to run on low fuel. As street lamps began to turn on outside and the sky turned pitch black, she decided it was time to go to bed. Only having a week in this town would cause her to spend every waking hour learning more about her family.

Walking over to the window to close the blinds, Elle took in the site of the clock tower across the way with the moon high above. Grabbing both sides of the curtains, Elle stopped as she saw someone standing in the middle of the road. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out what the person had been doing.

A woman with long blonde hair stood in the middle of Main Street, staring up at the frozen clock. Elle stood watching, waiting for something to happen. The blonde folded her arms, standing still as her head looked up. After a couple of minutes, the blonde looked down at her hands. She raised both hands up and extended her fingers wide motioning toward the clock. As nothing happened, the blonde shook her hands in frustration. Elle continued to watch the woman stand and stare until she finally walked away into the shadows.

Once the blonde had disappeared, Elle finally closed the blinds shut.


	2. Chapter 2

Every morning was the same routine. She would wake 20 minutes before her alarm clock and stare at the ceiling above until the buzzard sounded. Walking to the kitchen, she would turn her coffee machine on and listen for the sound of water boiling. After freshening up in the bathroom, a pop tart would be thrown into the toaster and a filled coffee pot would be ready.

Opening the back window to the outside, she would take in the morning and watch as the fellow Storybrooke residents completed their morning routine. Granny and Ruby had their daily fight on the way to the diner; Ruby thinking the diner opens too early. Mr. Gold would limp alongside his walking cane to his shop, jingling with his keys. Every morning he would stop before entering his pawn shop and stare across the street at the Library.

Grabbing her pop tarts from the toaster, she grabs whatever is clean from the closet. Throwing her long wavy blonde hair back into a ponytail, she headed toward the door. Looking back at her loft apartment, she double checks that everything is turned off and that she has everything she would need for the day.

A small layer of fog hung above the ground as the town began to wake up. She walked down Main Street to a small shop on the edge of town. Unlocking the door and turning the lights on, the woman threw her bag behind the counter and began to lift the chain curtain. She was soon interrupted by a woman bursting in through the front door with a young boy by her side.

"Good Morning, Genevieve. I know it's early, but is there any way you can help me?"

Gen looked down at the little boy, rubbing his eyes groggily, still not as awake as his mother. "I was called into the hospital early and-" Rose stopped as she looked into her empty wallet. Gen automatically felt the shift of energy in the room. Genevieve knelt down to the tired boy.

"Phillip, why don't you go but your bag in your cubby." Genevieve placed her hand over Rose's hand stopping her from looking into a wallet of nothing. "Rose, it's okay. You don't have to worry about it."

"No, no. I know, I have something…" Rose shuffled through her purse looking for any spare dollars that didn't make her wallet. "Rose, honestly it's okay. I know you're good for it."

Rose jet out the door in her green nurse scrubs leaving behind toddler Phillip, who had already found his way into the toy chest, finding his favorite dragon figure. Genevieve stopped to look at the mural on the far wall of a cartoon Storybrooke with a flying Goose overhead. In light blue scroll, she read Mother Goose Daycare.

She resented that mural; coming to see it every day. Every day she watched the same children, fed the same mouths, broke up the same fights, and mended the same temper tantrums. It felt as if the children were never going to grow up.

As the sun rose higher, the bell above the door rung more. Each time a parent dropped their child off was just one more sink of dread that the day was just beginning. But every morning at 8:00 am on the dot, there was always a small glimmer of hope. Mary Margert would rush in every morning with baby Neal on right hip. Throwing his diaper bag into his designated cubby and giving Neal kisses all over, Mary Margaret always hesitated handing over Neal to Genevieve. Although, most of the attention is on Neal, Genevieve always enjoyed the daily run-in with Mary.

As the morning continued, each toddler was fed their breakfast and carton of milk. Some played together, some watched a movie, and some took advantage of the reading corner. Genevieve set up the cot beds and make-shift cribs for the nap time and took advantage of the silence.

Sitting behind her counter, Gen snacked on her almonds and stared at the calendar across the wall. A bright red marker circled today, October 3rd. She couldn't process that another year had past so quickly and yet so slowly. The more she stared at the date, the more her heart sank. Staring at the clock, all she wished for was the day to move by quicker so she could go home to grieve alone.

What felt like for once in her life, Genevieve's wish had come true. Once the afternoon had hit, the children seemed to be oddly calmer and friendlier with one another. As the children grew happier, the day began to fly by.

As Phillip was the last child to be picked up, to no surprise of Gen, it was finally time to shut down the daycare center. Before stepping out the door, Genevieve gave a small touch to the calendar.

Gen's typical routine would direct her right back to her loft apartment, but today was different. Genevieve headed around the corner and headed to the growing crowd surrounding Granny's Diner. Keeping her head down and her hands in her pocket, she navigated her way through the groups of people drinking on the outdoor patio without anyone noticing her. Walking through the main door, she headed for the counter hoping to prevent a long stay.

Granny gave Genevieve a double look of surprise. It was not common for the people of Storybrooke to see Genevieve out with the locals. She was known for staying away from the crowds and keeping to herself. The most people knew of her was that her name was Genevieve Anderson and she owned the daycare center. Some have seen her walking the docks on the weekends alone and others have seen her on her nightly walks through the woods, but no one knew where she was going. Among the kids at schools, rumors have started of Genevieve doing séances or performing witchcraft in the woods.

"Can I grab a chocolate cupcake to go?" Genevieve nodded her head to the pastry display case at the corner of the counter. She watched as Granny looked around for a go-to container, but her pace was not good enough.

"Twice in one day? Don't we feel special." Granny's voice carried across the diner as Sheriff Nolan entered the dining area from the back hallway. Genevieve suddenly sank in her bar stool, trying to fixate her eyes on anything but the sheriff.

"He probably came for me. I do aim to please." Ruby appeared from the back kitchen with two cheeseburgers in her hands as she walked to the back table. The sheriff shined his blue eyes and gave a charming chuckle as he looked back behind the counter for a brown bag. "The wife had a long day. Just stopping by to pick up our order. I may be a bit early."

David gave a quick look around the diner and to his surprise, he found a meek blonde sitting in the corner waiting impatiently for her cupcake. "Genevieve! It's nice to see you out." Gen acknowledged his comment with a small smile but she couldn't bare to stare the sheriff in the eye. Luckily, before any more conversation could be had, Granny slide the cupcake forward.

Ruby took her place once again behind the counter. "So, did our friend find what she was looking for?" Genevieve sighed with relief as she fished out a five-dollar bill from her wallet as the conversation steered away from her.

"We did find her brother, but unfortunately, it was not the news she wanted." There was an awkward moment of silence as the group thought over what that news could be. Ruby darted her eyes between her grandma and Sheriff Nolan wanting to break the silence.

"He's dead, right?" Granny threw shocked eyes toward her granddaughter and gave her a small slap with her wash cloth. "Ruby!"

"What? We all kind of knew, right?" Granny looked to Nolan for his input. "Yes, he passed away a couple of years ago." Granny placed her hands on her hips thinking hard over the past couple of years.

"You think we would have known about that. Hell, when Marco fell off his ladder, the entire town visited him and talked about it for weeks. I think we would remember this Henry guy's funeral."

Genevieve froze. Her lips began to tremble and her vision had gone blurred. Placing her hands in one another tightly, she hoped no one would notice her reaction. She continued to stare at the five-dollar bill that sat on the edge of the counter; waiting for Granny to take it. Genevieve's heart pounded so loudly that her whole body felt like it was throbbing.

"Henry?" Even though a small whispered crossed Gen's lips, the group turned at once to stare in shock as Genevieve spoke. Sheriff Nolan stood up awkwardly, not knowing how to react. Genevieve hadn't really spoken to anyone in the town for what seemed like years. "Did you know him?"

Genevieve ignored David's remark and continued to stare at the dollar bill confused as she tried to process the conversation she just overheard. "Friend…" Genevieve quickly stood up from her stool, looking with tentative eyes at the sheriff. "You – you said a friend came looking for him. Who?"

David looked over his shoulder at the Diner owners for assistance, but both Ruby and Granny looked away. They both stood in place due to their pure curiosity on how the situation would play out. "She was young. Um, about this height." David lifted his hand to level at his shoulders.

"Her name. What was her name?" Genevieve's voice had raised a little and her eyes jumped from hesitant to desperate. A small burning sensation filled her eyes, but she tried to keep back the tears.

"Elle? Ellie? Emily? Something like that?" Genevieve took a step back looking around the diner. Some customer continued in their food and didn't notice what was happening by the counter and other blatantly stopped their meals and enjoyed the show.

A dull dinging noise sounded from the back hallway, which caught some people's attention. "Genevieve, are you going to be okay? Do I need to call Dr. Whale again?"

Genevieve threw her hands up defensively. "No. I'm fine. I just need to go." Gen grabbed her cupcake in it's to-go box and headed out the main door. Leroy sounded from across the room, pointing toward the back hallway. "Granny, you got someone at your B&B desk." Granny propped herself up in excitement.

"We haven't had a customer in God knows when!"

Genevieve paced back and forth along the sidewalk beneath the clock tower. Was this it? Was it time? She shut her eyes tightly, trying to back track to the beginning; but everything was a blur. She tried to think of what her mother would say.

Gen rolled her eyes at the idea of hope. She had lost hope a long time ago. Genevieve had become her worst self away from her family; knowing everything that she knew. She closed her fists tightly, forcing herself to think positive.

If this was true, if she was here, then it was time for change. Genevieve turned around and stared at the clock, waiting and hoping for the second hand to move. She felt like she had been staring at the clock for what felt like hours. Nothing.

Genevieve looked down at her hands. Hands that she had not used for decades. She slowly raised them to face the clock and closed her eyes hoping for a miracle. It had been so long that she forgot what it felt like to use her hands properly. She continued to stand with her hands raised, hoping that her concentration would change everything.

A loud voice from behind outside of Granny's diner echoed through the streets. "I told you she's a witch." A group of men burst out in hard laughs at the idea that Genevieve was insane. Bringing her hands down, she picked up her to-go box and walked into the alley for a short cut home.

Genevieve allowed for the single shine of moonlight to fill her loft apartment. Knowing her place like the back of her hand, she walked to the kitchen and pulled out a single blue star candle of the drawer, along with a box of matches. She placed the candle into the cupcake and lit the match. The same burning sensation appeared once more in her eyes. Now, being alone, she allowed single tears to stream down her face.

She watched as the wax dripped down into the buttercream icing. Closing her eyes to make a wish, Genevieve lifted her head and blew the candle out. A sudden knock at the door caused Genevieve to jump from her counter. Looking down at the cupcake in surprise, she questioned if her wish had come true. Straightening her hair with her hands and wiping away the left-over tears on her cheeks, Gen raced to the door. This was it.

She flew the door open. Genevieve's hopeful expression soon melted into a look of dread. "Did I catch you at a bad time, Dear?" The curly red head pushed her way past Genevieve and entered the apartment, holding a bottle of champagne.

"Madame Mayor, didn't expect to see you today." Victoria walked around confused by the darkness. "What are you? A mole?" Genevieve flipped the light switch next her allowing light to flow through the room. Victoria headed for the kitchen, looking into the cabinets for champagne flutes.

"What are you doing here."

"I was in the mood to celebrate." Victoria continued to search, but it was no luck. She settled with two tea cups. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm celebrating?" Genevieve rolled her eyes as she leaned against her leather couch; trying to maintain distance from the mayor.

"Why are we-" Before Gen could finish her sentence, the mayor loudly popped the champagne open. "Because it's an amazing day to be me." Genevieve folded her arms in disbelief as she watched the bubbles pour over the sides of the tea cups.

"You know, I did have some doubts- well up until today that is. You see, we had a little visitor today in Storybrooke." Genevieve continued to look the mayor in the eye, trying to not react to anything she said. "Did you?"

"Oh, you must know by now. Small town. People talk." Victoria sauntered her way over to the couch to hand the tea cup of champagne to Genevieve, but she did not take it. She continued to lean with her arms crossed. "Young girl. Looking for her friend. You may have heard of him? Henry Mills?"

Victoria walked back to the kitchen island and took a seat on one of the bar stools. Genevieve could start to feel her lip tremble. "Is he really dead?" Her voice cracked with the question. Gen stared down at her hardwoods, avoiding the satisfaction on the mayor's face.

"What fun would it be telling you. But it is something to definitely think about." Victoria looked over her shoulder to the cupcake sitting alone with a single candle on top. Diving a single finger in, Victoria raised up a dollop of frosting to her mouth. "Every year, the same cupcake. You think you have changed it up by now. How long has it been?"

"22 years." Victoria smiled a smile of pure gratification. "Did you even try to get a glimpse of her?"

"Zel- Victoria, if you even touched her…"

"Oh, drop the act Emma. No one's around." Zelena took another bite of the frosting. "Let me guess, you'll kill me if I touch her? Please watch as I quiver in my seat. Emma, you have no power here. You're not the savior here. You will never be the savior here."

"You really should have learned from your sister. The curse will break. I will get my powers back and-"

"She's gone."

Emma froze midsentence trying to make out what Zelena meant by "gone."

"Did you…"

"She has her father's eyes. Your cynicism. Enough to be the perfect pieces of her parents. Enough to want me to wring her neck until I could witness her last breath of air. But I let her go. Leave town to never return. So, sad to say, but the cruse will never be broken."

Zelena hopped of her stool and threw the remaining cupcake into the trash. "This town will continue to worship the ground I walk on and see the woman that you truly are- a sad orphan." Zelena leaned in close to Emma. "You took the only thing that I loved away from me. And now I take everything you ever loved."

Zelena reached for the door knob and was soon stopped by Emma. "You win. Please. Just please take my memories. I can't do this anymore." Zelena turned to face a desperate Emma. Streams of tears poured out of her eyes. "Please."

The wicked witch slowly walked up to Emma and raised her chin with the tip of her finger. "No." Emma quickly stepped away, wiping her tears away on her sleeve realizing how desperate she looked.

"You deserve this. What you did to me… what my own sister did to me…"

Zelena stepped forward toward Emma once more. "You deserve to watch all of the happy endings you created, die. You deserve to lose your family." Zelena grabbed the chain around Emma's neck toward her to place the heavy pendant in her hand. She lifted the diamond engagement ring attached to the chain to be eye level with Emma.

"And you deserve to never feel love, ever again." Emma's eyes filled with pain as she stared at the ring in front of her. "Zelena, please…" Zelena yanked harder at the chain.

"I should just kill-"

Both Zelena and Emma looked to the right side of the room quickly. A small noise from the distance hummed and slowly grew louder. Zelena released the necklace around Emma's neck and began to walk toward the noise. She walked until she was forced at a stop by the open window. Zelena's eyes grew in fright as the noise grew louder and it became clearer where it was coming from.

Rusty from its poor use, the wheels and spins took time to adjust. Emma's curtains blew away from the windows as a strong gust of wind entered her loft along with the loud gonging from the clock tower. Zelena looked back to Emma as if she had something to do with the time. "No!"

Emma placed a hand over her heart and felt a strong beating of joy. "You forgot one thing Zelena; Hope."


	3. Chapter 3

Elle woke to a paw over her mouth and an orange tabby sitting on her chest. With a small flick of her hand, she shoved the cat off of her and rolled onto her side. Seconds later, the cat began to circle its body making sure to whip Elle's face with his tail repetitively.

"Okay, I'm up. Happy?" Oliver gave a small cooing noise as he watched his owner roll out of bed and make for the bathroom. With a tooth brush cradled in her mouth, Elle began to shuffle through her backpack looking for one of the cans of cat food. Feeling the can at the bottom, she began removing large items to gain a better grip; one of the largest items being the story book.

Snapping the can open and placing it at her feet, Elle continued to brush her teeth as she looked through the stories. Flipping through pages she had yet explored in the middle of the book, she opened to a new set of pages. The paper was crisper and the writing style had changed somewhat. Even the pictures were more animated than before. Her eyes landed on a picture of a blonde in a red leather jacket climbing a beanstalk alongside a pirate. Before she could skim the words to the left, a large knock at the door grounded Elle to her surroundings.

She quickly covered the book under her slept-in bed sheets and hid Oliver in the bathroom. Elle continued to brush her teeth as she opened her door to find Ruby standing there with a fake, theatric grin.

"Good Morning! I hope you slept well. Something we pride ourselves on here is our famous maple walnut pancakes! Here's a 20% off voucher for your breakfast with us." Ruby took in a deep breath and let her body relax as she rolled her eyes from the notecard she read off of. "How did that sound? I feel like it's too scripted."

"Well, you holding the script does have that affect." Elle took the voucher and read it over. "But, seriously, how did you sleep? We don't get a lot of visitors and if I don't go back down there with a response, I don't know what Granny will do."

"It was good. I feel rested and appreciate-" Elle stopped speaking as she watched Ruby begin to sniff loudly into her room. Her furrowed brows and crinkling nose made it past the threshold and Ruby began to pace around the bed. "um- I may have to update my response…"

"Do you have a cat?" Elle pursed her lips and looked around confused as she slowly tapped the canned food on the floor with her foot under the bed. "I don't. Allergic to the things. Just petting them, I break out in hives."

A small meow came from the bathroom. Ruby's head darted toward the door as Elle looked in the opposite direction pretending not to hear her cat. The girl dressed in red, opened the door to find an orange tabby lying on the tile. He rolled onto his back, exposing his belly and gave a small meow.

Itching behind her right ear, Elle gave an unconvincing shocked performance. "What! What is… that thing…" Ruby turned around and placed a hand on her hip. "I'm sorry. No pets allowed."

Elle slowly nodded in accepting the fact she was back on the streets. There was no scenario in which she was okay leaving Oliver alone in a town she didn't even know. "Do I still get to keep the voucher?"

After a heavy breakfast, Elle signed the receipt and mentally thanked the woman from Boston who had left her visa gift card peeking out of her purse for the grabbing. As she walked out of Granny's, she began to sprint toward her car. "No no no no!"

A short bald man with a salt and pepper beard was just completing the boot on her car. The yellow clamp on her front tire was an old and reoccurring friend she was sick of running into. "Please don't do this. I'm here. I can move it now."

"Sorry sister, learn to read the signs." Elle frantically looked around her. "There are no signs!" The short man pointed vaguely up and down the street. "They're there, okay?" Elle's eyes began to look up and down the streets again to find a single sign. Looking to her left, she paused.

A blonde woman with long wavy hair stood in the distance wrapped in knit cardigan. She held it closely around her body as she stared back at Elle. With a combination of the morning fog and distance, Elle couldn't really make out her face but had a feeling that it was the same woman she watched from her window the night before. Elle didn't know what to do in the moment. She repositioned her body to focus more on the woman far away.

There was something familiar about her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she already knew her somehow. The fog continued to slowly roll across the ground toward the docks and the street became silent. Initially looking for the signs, Elle knew there were townspeople walking the streets with their families. But in this moment, she couldn't help but feel like they were the only two standing on Main St. There was nothing threatening about the way the woman watched her but there was enough curiosity to peak Elle's interest. Taking a couple steps forward to approach her, the Blonde stepped back and disappeared around the corner.

"Hey lady. Take it." Elle snapped back to reality and found the short man waving a ticket in her face. "Do you know who that was?" The short man looked back to the area Elle's eyes continued to linger. "Who?"

"She's blonde, tall, disappeared around that corner over there." The man gave a small laugh and began to walk back to his truck. "You're probably talking about the witch." Elle jerked her head around in disbelief. "Witch?"

A familiar voice approached from behind the two. "She's no witch. Leroy, you really need to stop telling people that." Sheriff Nolan gave a small kick to the boot under Elle's car. "Why is there a boot here?"

Leroy hopped into the front seat of his tow truck and shinned an annoyed grin. "Just taking orders from the big sister upstairs." Within seconds, he was gone. Elle turned back to the sheriff with raised eyebrows. "I'm assuming that's the mayor?"

"I can talk to her. There are no parking restrictions in this area." Elle folded her arms tightly to her chest. "Appreciate it, but I can handle this on my own." Nolan respectively stepped back two paces at her dry response.

"What you can help me with is the witch."

"Genevieve? Is she bothering you?" His incredulous face told Elle that this woman was never a bother to begin with. "No, I'm just curious, that's all."

"Um, well she's Genevieve. Not much to say. She keeps to herself a lot. Runs the town's daycare down there." David pointed to the same area the woman had been standing before. "And she just dabbles in potions when she's not flying on her broomstick?"

David gave a heartful laugh. "You're funny. No. It's just a town rumor. She did have an episode a while back, but she has been doing great. She's great."

"What kind of episode?" David looked around his shoulders as if he were about to spill major town gossip, but his eyes were filled with concern.

"She had a, well let's call it a mental breakdown. She had lost her husband and I think it just put her in a tailspin. At first, we thought it was- bad to say- a little funny, but then she just crossed a line with the things she said." David took a long pause and Elle could see he was deep in his thoughts back to that time.

"You know how some people just allow themselves to become absorb in a fantasy to escape their reality? Well, that's kind of what happened. She went on about being the savior and that she had magic powers. That this whole town is cursed and how it was all the Mayor's fault. It wasn't until she came to my office. She had been crying and there was this look of-"

"… hopelessness."

"Yeah. You could tell she was about to give up on everything. She- I know this will sound crazy- she tried to persuade me that I was her father. After that, I immediately called Dr. Hopper, the town's psychologist, and after that night, she disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared?" By now, Elle had been leaning her back against her car and stared from time to time back at the daycare center.

"I think her sessions with Hopper helped. She just took some time away to be by herself and work on whatever she needed to do. I know Hopper pushed her into volunteering to find her purpose again. I think that really helped her."

"And you guys just trust her with your kids now?" David gave a hopeful smile to Elle and nodded with confidence.

"Of course. I won't say it wasn't easy at first, but when she was ready to come back to the community, I knew I could trust her. I don't know how else to explain it, but I know my son is safe whenever he's with her."

Both David and Elle stood in a comfortable silence together as they processed the story and slowly made their way back to the busy Main St. David looked down at the boot once more and gave it a final nudge with his foot. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I'm sure."

Elle spent the rest of her day learning the town of Storybrooke. She walked to the park and strolled around the pond in the middle. Through the edge of the park, she entered a small edge of the forest and emerged onto a sandy beach. She watched a red-headed man play fetch with his dalmatian and a couple cozy up for lunch. Continuing on the edge of town, she walked to the end of the beach, which led to the docks. Taking a seat on one of the stoops, Elle allowed herself to rest while watching the horizon.

Thinking back to yesterday, she thought about what the Mayor said. What if her brother was really dead? The past two days were filled with so many questions. If he were dead, how did the book even get to her? What was the point of the book? What was in that folder? Her stomach filled with butterflies. The folder.

She took her backpack off and began searching for her pickpocket kit. Holding the black leather case, she knew what to do.

Looking up above, dark clouds moved quickly across the night's sky. Elle walked past the Mayor's townhall a few times to survey the workers inside and there was finally no one left. Her watch read 10:15 pm and the streets were empty. Making her way around to the south side of the building. Elle kneeled down to the door and began to pick at the lock. First try, no luck. Second try, Elle jiggled the door handle in frustration. Entering the picks for a third time, she stopped at the sound of shuffling leaves.

"You're doing it wrong."

Elle jumped to her feet and hid the kit behind her back. Looking to her right, she was surprised to see a blonde figure standing at the side of the building. Just out of sight from the moonlight, Elle knew who it was immediately. "I wasn't doing anything."

Stepping forward, the woman stepped into the light and Elle took a step back in amazement. Her hazel eyes scanned Elle's blue eyes looking for any sign of recognition. Elle froze, intimidated by her beauty. The woman took in the sight of the young girl. Her dark brown hair was up in messy bun with loose strays falling around her face. Her small petite figure hid under a green army jacket and jeans. Her chin and nose were identical to what the blonde saw on herself in the mirror every day. But the best sight of all was her deep blue eyes. Eyes that made her heart ache. Eyes that she had missed.

The woman reached around Elle's back and grabbed the kit; looking at the tools she had at her disposal. "It looks like you're trying to break into the Mayor's office." She kneeled down and began to play with the lock.

Elle, still frozen, watching the woman play around with the picks. "I don't need your help."

"Really? Because it looked like you were doing so well before?" With a small _clink_ the door handle budged open. "It's all in the tumblers." The woman began to walk into the building and then paused as Elle continued to stand outside. "You're seriously helping me break in?"

"If you haven't noticed, not a lot happens in this town. Have to find fun somehow." She motioned her head to invite Elle inside the building. "Come on."

They both entered in the side stairwell. Entering on the first floor, the stairs split to go down to the basement or upstairs to the main offices. Elle followed the blonde up the stairs toward the signs reading _Second Floor_. "Aren't you worried you're going to get caught?"

"I've done worse." Elle couldn't help but smirk a grin at the woman's comment. Although the stairwell was dark, she could hear a smile in the Blonde's voice. "Do you have a name?"

"Elle. And you?" Elle could hear the woman take in a breath to answer and then stop. After a moment's pause, she finally answered. "Genevieve. But you can call me Gen."

"Not witch?" Gen laughed under breath as they made their way to the top of the second floor. "Oh. So, you've heard of me. I'm assuming you know the story?"

Elle didn't know how to respond. It seemed like a sensitive topic and bad timing to discuss her mental breakdown. She didn't even know if Gen knew David would share so much detail. "I've heard this and that."

"Do you believe them?" Elle turned to Gen seeing a single stream of light coming from the red exit sign above. Gen's face was somewhat serious and somewhat intrigued. "I have met a woman who swore by her 'potion' but it was just some juice cleanse hoax. Another lady tried to persuade me that voodoo dolls were the real deal." She looked back at Gen, who still had the same expression. Elle continued to lead up the stairs to the third floor. Gen continued the conversation, releasing a small voice. "Do you believe in magic?"

Elle stopped on the stairwell and looked back confused. "Like the song or harry potter?"

"Harry Potter." A confused Elle stared at the floor not knowing where this conversation was truly headed. "No. But how cool would that be. My life would have been a lot simpler just being able to run away to Hogwarts."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the two continued up the stairs to the third floor, finally reaching their destination. Elle didn't recognize where they were, walking into the third floor from the side stairwell, but Gen continued to walk around the corner knowing exactly where to go. The girls walked through the unlocked door to the Mayor's office and Gen stood still in the middle of the room, taking it in.

The walls were covered in awards, plaques, and recognitions. Where there was an open space on the wall, a color of deep green made the room feel smaller than it was. To the right of the room, a long glass conference table highlighted a gold brass bowl filled with green apples. Elle had picked one up to snack on later but Gen put her hand up to stop her. "I wouldn't eat those if I were you."

Without any response or questions, Elle placed the apple back into the bowl, shinning it with her sleeve to remove her prints. Heavy velvet drapes, in a deep mustard color, framed the large windows behind the Mayor's desk. Elle made her way behind the desk, scanning her eyes over the documents and papers that laid scattered. Gen watched Elle try to make sense what she was looking for.

"She has it. I know she does." Gen began to pick up different pieces of paper and scan them, but just found actual town budget proposals for shop extensions on Main St. Elle pulled at a some of the drawers to find one locked. "This one. It's in here."

Gen moved over to the locked drawer and began to play around with the picks on the lock. "What are we looking for anyways?"

"I was here yesterday to learn about my brother." Gen bit her lip trying to restrain any emotion from showing. "She had this folder that had a lot of information, but she just kept lying. I know she was lying."

Elle continued to watch Gen pick at the small drawer lock until something else caught her eye. A folded up five-dollar bill sat on the edge of the Mayor's desk. Picking up paper between her index and middle finger, she raised it to her nose for a good sniff. She couldn't help but raise an eye brow at the intoxicating smell of money. The smell brought her back to her favorite moments on the streets of Boston- collecting the tips left on tables, spare dollars flying in the wind, and maybe a few dollars from tourist pockets. Elle's eyes caught Gen's. She couldn't tell if Gen was admiring her or disapproving her behavior. "It's just five bucks." Elle tucked the dollar away in her jacket and looked away, uncomfortable with the attention.

Gen looked back at the lock and paused thinking of the girl she just saw. _She's her father's daughter._ Continuing to move her picks around, a small click filled the silent room. Gen began to pull out all of the folders and skimmed her fingers through the names, but quickly stopped aware that she was not supposed to know who she was looking for. "Henry Mills. It should be the thickest folder."

Gen continued on to the last folder. Flying it open, being as eager to read the documents as Elle, she began to review the papers. "What do you need to know?"

"All of it! Take the whole thing."

"If we did that, it would obvious who took the folder. She would be after you and-" A heavy door slammed shut in the distance causing both girls to stop and listen for the slow footsteps approaching. A yellow beam of light slowly scanned the walls and floor of the hallways. Elle and Gen crouched to the floor and tried to remain unseen nor heard. With a large mayoral office chair between them, Gen knew she could sift through the papers without Elle seeing. From school grades to Dr. Hopper's recommendations, the folder was filled with items from before Emma had come to Storybrooke. Making it to the second section, Gen stopped as her eyes began to burn.

She picked up photos of Emma and Henry walking to the school bus, eating at Granny's, and sitting on his old wooden castle. Beyond the pictures is when the paperwork changed for Storybrooke. The office began to document the realm's people entered and how long stayed, lists of their powers, scale on fighting skills, etc. Loose papers of the story book were held in the file. Most of his writings from the underworld, where he was just starting to understand the power of being the author.

The footsteps stopped at the Mayor's doorway. With a flashlight scan to the right and a scan to the left, the security officer closed the Mayor's office door and continued on their way. They waited for the sound of footsteps to approach the north stairwell as the officer made their rounds back to the basement. Placing the photos into one pocket and the paperwork before Emma in the other, Gen popped her head up and shoved the files back away. "I got what you need. Let's get out of here."

Elle stood up and began to approach the drawer that had just closed as Gen quickly made her way to the exit. Pausing at the door, Gen looked back as Elle began to approach the closed drawer. Elle's eyes were desperate at this point but Gen knew she wasn't ready to learn everything. "But I need-"

Gen put her hand out for Elle to follow. "Trust me."

Trusting was something Elle did not do lightly. From her gut telling her to step forward and her heart skipping a beat, this pushed Elle to close the drawer and take Gen's hand. Gen led them to the south side stairwell, where they had entered, and down two side streets to shortcut their way to Granny's.

Stopping at the red car with the boot on its tire, Gen looked down with a sentimental smile. "Well this is my stop." Elle awkwardly stood looking around not knowing how to thank this woman; who ended up being a great deal of help tonight. Gen fished out some folded papers from her right pocket and handed them over to Elle to keep. "These should help."

Looking to her left, Gen saw what looked like a tiny home in the back seat of Elle's car. Gen's eyes soon turned to ones filled with sadness and guilt. "You're sleeping in here tonight? If it's money you need help with, I can have a word with Granny."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine really." Elle's tone quickly changed to a dry and quick response, but this didn't intimidate Gen. "You know I do have an open room at my place. You're more than welcome to stay."

"I don't really do the roommate thing. Tried it once. Didn't work out." Elle quickly looked away, uncomfortable seeing Gen's endearing smile shine down on her. As Gen took a few steps back toward her home, she looked over her shoulder.

"The cat can come too." A small orange tabby peaked its head out from underneath the car and cooed as it followed the blonde back to the sidewalk. "How did you…? Oliver, get back here." Gen turned around and continued to walk backward slowly waiting for Elle to make up her mind. Looking around the empty street and then to the back seat of her car, Elle watched her reflection roll her eyes as she caved. Grabbing her backpack from the driver's seat, Elle quickened her steps to catch up with Gen and Oliver.


	4. Chapter 4

With her hand to her forehand in frustration, Elle shoved the scattered papers in front of her off the table. As some of the papers lightly swayed down to the floor like a feather, Oliver batted his paw at the new spontaneous toy. Genevieve looked over her shoulder from the kitchen as she continued to clean their plates from breakfast. "There's nothing."

Genevieve turned around to find Elle surrounded by papers on the floor and an empty table. Her left fist pressed firm into the table and her right thumb drew circles on her right pointer finger in frustration. Gen had to stop at the sight of the young girl in front of her. From her plump lips creasing downward at the ends to her determined eyes that were racing thoughts in her mind, she looked just like her mother. Gen clenched her fists at her sides to stop herself from wanting to reach out and comfort her. Although she may have looked like her mother- maybe with darker hair- she was predominantly her father. Her expressive eyes and dry, sarcastic humor; even the way she cocked her eyebrow from time to time made Gen squeeze her hands even tighter.

"Are you alright?"

Elle stood up from her chair and began to pace around the table. "I thought I was so close. I thought this would be it." She rinsed her fingers through her thick brown hair, giving it a shake at the roots. Gen watched her loose curls dance around her shoulders and fall still once more at the middle of her back.

"I have spent so many years just wanting to know who my parents are. Why they gave me up. And then I learn that I have a brother. I thought this would be great- to meet someone who's reached out. Someone who cares. But now- now, I can't help but think this is going to end the way my whole life has ended up…" Elle couldn't finish the sentence.

Gen stepped forward and grabbed Elle's shoulder and looked her in eyes with tears swelling up in her bottom lids. "You can't think that. Jumping to conclusions and stopping yourself from seeing the truth will only make this worse. I believe he is out there waiting to meet you. I have- You have to."

Elle took a step back, moving her shoulder out of its holder. She was not used to affection or even being open with people. What was even more odd was the amount of optimism coming from Gen. Optimism wasn't even in Elle's vocabulary.

Gen took a step back, apologizing for invading her personal space. Elle shook it off and looked back to the papers scattered on the ground. "It's okay. It's a weird situation all around."

Both girls kneeled down to start collecting the different papers of school work, awards, and psychologist notes. Picking up one paper, Elle's eyes scanned the words she had already read five times over. "He was lonely… being adopted and brought home and never feeling like you are home." Elle folded Dr. Hopper's notes and placed them back on the table. Gen stood with her collection of papers and added them to the pile.

"It sounds like you're familiar with the feeling." Her eyes studied Elle's face looking for any sign back into the life she never wished to send her into.

Standing up, Elle brushed her hands on her jeans to remove the imaginary dust left on them. In reality, she was uncomfortable digging into her past with a stranger. Who she still saw as a stranger. She did whatever she could with her hands to look busier than she was.

"It had its highs and lows." Grabbing her backpack from the coat hanger behind her, Elle threw one brown leather strap over her shoulder. "I think I just need to get some fresh air."

Elle paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder. She was told too often of her cold, closed-off demeanor. The face she displayed to the world was the reason she didn't last long with some families in the foster system. The amount of generosity and selflessness Genevieve had displayed the past day, she thought she owed her something.

Turning around, Elle's eyes studied Gen's face. Now, up close and in daylight, she was able to really see her. Thinking of David's story of her- her episode- Elle couldn't see how this woman could be anything but as kind, and sane, as she was being with her now.

"Thank you for letting my crash; and for breakfast." With a forced tight smile, Elle turned to her left and reached for her army jacket. Reaching up, her white long sleeve pulled back to her forearm revealing a silver bracelet. The morning sun's rays coming through the window shimmered off the silver plate just enough to grab Gen's attention.

Her eyes widen and swelled with tears she had hoped to prevent as she read _Elizabeth_ over small engraved ocean waves. Elle closed the door behind her, not giving a look back- to Gen's relief. Now, alone in her loft apartment, she held her stomach tight as it knotted. Hugging herself tighter, she finally released everything she had been holding inside.

Elle's fingers traced the postcard given to her on her birthday. She had turned the postcard over and over, studying the Storybrooke clocktower. Flapping the card between her hands, she looked up to the park's pond in front of her. Maybe this was a mistake. Who was she to just spontaneously drive to a town without an invitation.

"May I sit here?" Elle looked to her right to find a short woman with a pixie haircut standing behind a stroller. She moved her bag off of the park bench and allowed the woman to sit as she pulled her baby boy from its seat.

"Beautiful day." Elle gave an uncomfortable grin as she looked around the park, breaking her eye contact. She was never one for small talk. Of all the park benches in this place, she had to choose this one. The woman looked down at the postcard in Elle's hand and a light bulb shined in her head.

"The postcard. You must be Elle." She turned her head in amazement at how this random woman knew her. "Is it really that small of a town?" The woman gave a small chuckle as she readjusted her son over her shoulder.

"No. You've met my husband, Sheriff Nolan." She balanced her son on one shoulder as she reached another arm to formally shake Elle's hand. "Mary Margaret."

Elle shook the woman's soft, porcelain hand. She couldn't get over how naturally beautiful this woman was. With a round face and hazel eyes that pierced your soul, this woman portrayed a kindness that was a pure as snow.

"Cute baby."

"Oh, thank you. We like him. Was going to give him up if he wasn't cute." Mary Margaret joked with a nonchalant shrug. "David told me about your brother. Have you had any luck?"

Elle displayed the emptiness around her with her hands. "No. Not really. And it looks like there might not be enough clues to even find him."

"I'm sorry to hear that. But I have a feeling that you will find him." Elle tried not to roll her eyes at the response. The optimism in this town; must be something in the water.

"Yeah, I don't know about that." Elle kicked her foot out from beneath the bench to sway her legs as they barely touched the ground. By accident, her backpack fell to its side and the latch opened, spilling out a book.

"Well that's an odd book." Mary Margaret leaned over, holding her son tighter to her as she tried to read the cover. "Once Upon a Time…"

Elle bent over and pulled out the 20 lb. book and placed it on her lap. "Henry, my brother, he left this for me somehow." With more curiosity, Mary Margaret reached her free hand out and felt the thick leather-bound book. "Such an odd shape."

"Tell me about it. Not the lightest of things either." Elle pressed her forearms over the book and continued to look around the park ignoring the fact Mary Margaret continued to study the book. "May I?"

Mary Margaret held her baby out for Elle to hold as she reached for the book as a trade. "I don't really do babies." But before Elle could give a full protest, the baby boy was in her lap and the book was in Mary's hands.

Feeling awkward holding the baby in her arms, Elle just hovered her hands around him in the case he fell off of her lap. The boy sat up on his own, with the assistance of Elle's chest, and he seemed preoccupied enough watching the birds in the tree above sing to one another. The brim of his blue bucket hat grazing her chin every so often as he followed the birds jumping from branch to branch.

Mary's eyes were so serene and yet focused with the words and pictures on each page. Her fingers traced the sentences that she mumbled under breath and she skimmed the pages quickly to figure out its meaning. Elle tried to break the awkward silence by trying to fill her in on the theme, if she hadn't caught on by now. "They're fairy tales."

"Not your average fairytale. Definitely a different take than the ones you see in the movies. Have you read these?"

"Um, no not really. Just skimmed a few. I think I got the gist of it."

"I don't think you do." Elle's eyes darted at Mary Margaret almost offended by her words. They're fairy tales, what's not to get. Yes, she has seen her fair share of schools and maybe didn't complete all of her classes, but she understood what was in this book.

Mary's eyes, still concentrating on the pages below, stopped at an image of what appeared to be Snow White walking with seven dwarfs in the woods. Her fingers traced the image of a Snow crying over lost love. She looked back up at Elle and realized how she must have came off.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that way. What I meant to say was, this book is not your average book to begin with. Look." She flipped to the front and flipped to the back to show the empty pages that broke the stories up from the leather cover. "There is no publisher or author."

"Yeah, I gathered that too." Mary quickly flipped to the pages that were lighter and crisper than the ones in the beginning. "Here."

Mary pointed to a photo of a blonde woman kissing a boy in a coma. The two were surrounded by a bright circle of light. "These stories, they mention Storybooke. They mention a boy named Henry." Elle's eyes widened as she looked at pages she had yet to even skim.

"I've just been flipping through random pages and haven't seen his name before." Elle's hand fell on top of the picture.

"Don't you see? He wrote you these stories. He added himself to these stories. There has to be something in here that will give at least something of a clue as to where he is."

"But why fairy tales? Why couldn't have just written me a simpler letter." Mary closed the book and placed both of her hands-on top.

"Because believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

Elle had spent the rest of her day reading the book and their stories. The fairytales were definitely not the most traditional. Prince Charming was a Sheppard, Rumpelstiltskin is also the beast, Snow White was the reason Regina lost her love. Some of the stories were gut wrenching and others made Elle want to turn the page fast to read on. Everything was connected one way or another. She found herself talking to out loud to no one on the park bench.

"There was an eighth dwarf?"

"You had one job! Don't eat a single thing and of course you eat a cupcake right when your sister is next to the witch."

"Prince James was a tool."

"Jack the Giant Slayer was a woman?"

Crickets began to sing in the grass around her park bench and Elle didn't realize she had read for over 4 hours. She had become so lost in her book that she lost track of time. Taking the black silk bookmark, she stopped herself at the moment Snow White takes an apple from the Evil Queen.

Closing the door to the loft, Elle found Genevieve sitting on her couch in silence. She held a brown ceramic mug that was topped with something white. "Hey."

Gen came out of her thoughts and looked to the young girl placing herself on the chair across from her. Elle could tell she had a rough day by the look of the dark circles under her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Gen looked down at her mug and gave a quick sip. Swallowing the hot liquid, she tried to swallow whatever bothered her down with it; wanting to be present with Elle. "Just a long day." Elle leaned over her chair and caught a glimpse of what was in the mug.

"Are you drinking hot cocoa? What are you six?" Gen licked some of the whipped cream off of her lips and smiled. "It's what I drink after a long day, okay? Don't judge." Gen watched as Elle cocked an eye brow of interest.

"You want one too, don't you?"

"Only if you throw in a few drops of whiskey?" Elle shined a big smile in hopes that Gen would even have whiskey in her apartment. Gen got up to fix Elle a mug and began to sort through her liquor cabinet. "Did you have an eventful day?"

"Actually yeah." She heard Gen stop and wait for the rest of her response. "I met someone actually. Mary Margaret? Do you know her?"

Gen paused before answering. Elle wasn't turning her head around but knew there was a stillness behind her. Gen held the bottle of whiskey to her chest thinking of their interaction. Her voice was soft and almost broken. "I do. What did she say?"

"She… she just said some stuff that really helped. That's all." Thinking about the day and the amount she had read, the amount she had digested, trying to decipher what the point of the stories were- Elle was mentally exhausted and knew that was a story for another day.

Knowing she had to improve her emotional state, Gen took a deep breath regaining herself and walked back to the couches with the mugs of hot cocoa, cinnamon, and whiskey. She had questions, so many questions, but knew she had to be strategic about how she approached each one. The young girl in front of her was not a stranger to one she saw in herself many years ago.

Elle took her jacket off and curled her legs into the chair across from Gen. She pulled her sleeves up to prevent any hot cocoa spilling on the sides and ruining her only shirt. Gen stared at the bracelet she had noticed earlier. Looking down at her backpack, her eyes furrowed.

"Is that all you have? Your bag?"

Taking in a few sips and letting the warmth rush over her, Elle leaned over to look at her brown leather backpack. There were some cracks in the leather and some stains, but Elle loved her bag. "Yeah, I'm not really a sentimental type of person. It's better to carry light."

"So, then what's with the bracelet."

Gen hid her lips behind her mug but her eyes were desperate. Elle turned the inside of her wrist toward her and read her name. "It was the only thing found on me. It was sewn into a blanket but as I got older, I thought this was better."

"Found you…" Elle took in a big sigh. She hadn't really shared this story with anyone. Not knowing if it was because of the two sips of chocolate whiskey, her good mood from knowing Henry was in her book, or Genevieve's sincere eyes; Elle felt comfortable talking about her past. At least some of it.

"I was found by campers. I don't know where exactly, but the family was from New Hampshire."

"And that's where you entered the system?" Gen was chewing on her tongue trying to maintain a steady emotional response through this. She knew what she had experienced as a young girl and didn't want that for Elle.

"Yeah. My first family, where I got my last name, I was said to be there until I was four? I don't really remember it."

"What happened?" Elle took another sip from her mug and watched Oliver curl up beneath her chair. "My foster father was indicted for money laundering." She scoffed at the thought. "They swiped up all of their money and froze their accounts. They couldn't afford me anymore. We can't all be winners, I guess."

They sat in comfortable silence for a minute or two until Gen pressed on. "And the others?"

"Well, the first place I remember, Ms. Schumer. She was fostering five other kids so the house was always chaotic. She definitely had her favorites, and I was not one of them. Family after hers was the kind to bring someone in for a short time to feel like they did a good deed but couldn't commit. After that, it was like a rinse and repeat. All the same, until…"

Gen sat up more intrigued. Her teeth's grip on her tongue became more intense hoping that the world was not as cruel of a place as it had been for her.

"Being in and out of homes, I may have picked up on some hobbies. Stuff that, well let's just say I am on a first name basis with a lot the police in Boston." Gen bit her tongue harder trying not to look like a disappointed mother.

"What kind of hobbies?" Did she really want to know?

"I was good at finding things. I had the proper connections and knew a thing or two on how to get the right information." She looked up and knew what Gen's follow up question would be.

"A lot of things were like family heirlooms, vintage toys, collectable items, stuff like that. But then there was the other stuff." Elle cracked a small smile in the corner of her mouth thinking back those days. Gen finished the sentence for her. "Stuff that was bad enough to put you on a first name basis with the cops?"

"Yeah, something like that. But there was the one officer. He would be the one to always call me in and we got to spend a lot of time together. He made 24 hour holds fun, as weird as it is to say. By the time I was 15, I slept more in shelters than I did in a home. After one more hold, the officer brought me home with him for some food. He showed me his spare bedroom and gave me an ultimatum. I would be able to have a key to spend the night whenever I would like, to have an actual meal whenever I liked, just as long as I stayed out of trouble."

"What did you do?" Gen's cup was empty by this point but she kept it closed in her hands.

"I stayed out of trouble. He let me have my freedom and made sure I was doing well in school. I knew he asked around behind my back to make sure I wasn't sleeping in a jailcell for the night. He even made sure I went to prom, it's so stupid." Elle laughed taking a final sip from her mug.

Gen released her tongue from her teeth and smiled thinking of Elle is a prom dress having fun with friends. "It's not stupid." Elle's cheerful eyes soon changed to cold.

"Yeah, but all good things have to come to end at some point. He ended meeting someone. I was so happy he found someone, he truly deserved to be happy. But after the wedding, the apartment started to feel smaller. I could never tell if she liked me, but I never felt welcomed around her. They started talking about having kids and then that was it."

"He kicked you out?"

"No, but he didn't have to say it. I just kind of knew my time was up. I was 18. It was time to be on my own for good. It's where I belonged to begin with."

"What happened after that?"

"I went back to finding things…" Elle shot a quick look up at Genevieve seeing her make sense that she spent her remaining years back on the streets and in prison cells.

After what felt like 30 minutes of silence, Elle placed her mug down and gave a small nudge to Oliver sleeping below her. "Come on. Time for bed."

Gen took both mugs back to the kitchen to rinse over night before heading to bed herself. "I know it's early, but I think I'm ready to head in. Long day of reading. Do you mind if I keep this here?"

Elle took her leather story book out of her bag and placed it on the dining room table with it's black silk bookmark peaking out a third of the way. Her head shot up to the sound ceramic mugs shattering on the floor. "Are you okay?"

Elle rushed over to Gen's side as she had missed the sink. Thankfully, the mug broke in large pieces. Large enough for Elle to collect each piece in one hand. Standing back up, Gen was no longer by her side.

The blonde woman stood over the leather-bound book, tracing her fingers over the gold scroll on the cover. "Where did you get this?" Elle threw the remaining shard of ceramic into the garbage and joined her at the table.

"Henry. He left it for me. It's a book of fairy tales, but who knows if it could help or not." She carelessly shrugged and watched as Gen slowly open the book and review some of the stories. Gen's face looked as if she had bumped into an old friend from long ago.

"Do you mind If I take a look?" Gen's eyes did not leave the pages and her voice was softer than before.

"Yeah, just don't change my bookmark." Elle's eyes narrowed, watching Genevieve.

She retreated to the step ladder and looked back over her shoulder. In that moment, she knew Genevieve was not telling her something. And she was going to figure out what.


	5. Chapter 5

Being stuck in time with your memories can make you feel insane. When she first came to this town, her entire life changed. She became a sheriff, a mother, a daughter, and then a wife. After the curse was initiated, she remembered sobbing in her hospital bed just given birth to her baby girl. People outside of her room were running around frantically and she was left alone holding her round stomach that was now empty.

Green smoke spilled through her room and the next thing she knew, she was waking up in her mother's old loft apartment. The first thing she felt for was her stomach, which now laid flat. Walking the town of Storybrooke and seeing the memories that had been lost, she knew it was her job as the savior to restore everyone to the truth.

But this was not successful. Watching her parents walk the town with their son as a happy family without her drew a darkness inside her. Not knowing where her son was. Where Regina was. Most importantly, not knowing if she were a widow.

After her first meeting with Dr. Hopper, she knew she had to play the part that Zelena wrote for her in order to survive. Running home, she scribbled down every story she remembered from the book. Then some notes about memories she had of her son, moments she shared with her family, and the words her husband had spoken to her over the years. It was safe to say the notebook was a mess and out of order, but it made sense to her. Her notebook could never compare to the leather-bound book in front of her.

 _Henry did a beautiful job._ Gen thought to herself. The stories from the original book was like re-watching a favorite movie you haven't seen in a long time. You knew the plot, the words, the ending. You knew what was going to happen but still felt the same shock, heart-break, and joy you once did watching it for the first time.

The newer pages, the crisper pages, told a different story away from the enchanted forest. The first chapter began with a young boy traveling by bus to meet his birthmother in Boston. Tears streamed for the first time at the sight of a blonde breaking the Evil Queen's curse. Then again at the story of a princess and a pirate climbing a beanstalk. A few more tears as the girl said goodbye to her family at the town line during Peter Pan's curse.

She took a long break from the stories and stared at the photo of blonde in a red dress dancing with a dashing man at a ball. This was the photo she had engraved in her mind every time she closed her eyes to sleep or needed to find her happy place to calm herself. And now it was finally in front of her.

Making a pot of coffee, Gen continued through the book. She reintroduced herself to the girl that made friends with a queen named Elsa, gave into the darkness for love, and placed her family in danger in the underworld. She still couldn't let that one go. From thinking she would say goodbye to a happy ending to marrying a pirate on a rooftop, Gen felt her heart beat grow faster.

The sun had begun to rise and there was a mix of morning birds and crows singing outside her window. A small dull ache began to appear behind her eyes to remind her that she had read throughout the night with little rest, but she had to read on.

After a two-week sail for a honeymoon, there was little time between their arrival home and the news of a baby. Gen's hands traced a photo of a blonde woman sitting alone on her bathroom floor staring down on five positive pregnancy tests. As great as the news had been, there was soon a familiar threat to the town, Zelena.

Some could argue her intentions were good, but there was no excuse for how the next nine months unraveled. She landed on the last page of the book. Her whole body tightened as she sat up more alert. Gen clenched the used tissue in her hand and held it to her chest as more tears formed.

A baby girl wrapped in a red knit blanket slept in peace. A small silver plate sewn in the bottom corner read _Elizabeth_ over small ocean waves. Two tear drops fell onto the page. Tall black figures were running toward the newborn with green smoke encompassing the forest. A man with a hook laid on the ground lifeless. Blood stained his neck and some pooled onto the pavement around him. His right arm was extended out and his fingers only inches away from the baby girl. They were separated by a thin orange town line.

"Have you been up all night?"

Gen quickly looked up to find piercing blue eyes watching her from the top of the ladder. Shoving the pile of used tissues into couch cushions and behind her back, Genevieve closed the book. "I couldn't sleep."

Elle's incredulous eyes stayed focused on Gen as she walked her way down the ladder. "I made sure to keep your bookmark in place, no worries." She handed the book back to the young girl and tried not to move from her seat. Elle placed the book back in her backpack for later.

"I'm going to jump in the shower if that's okay? I thought I would get a lot more reading done today."

"I think that's a good idea." Gen waited for the young girl to close the bathroom door before cleaning up her tissues and coffee mugs. Looking in the mirror, dark circles crept in. She gave herself small pinches on her cheeks to brighten up her face and pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail for the day.

It was almost 8:30 am on that Saturday morning. Every weekend was her time to revisit the town she had been stuck in for the past couple of decades. Leaving her loft, she started route toward the damp, sandy beaches that traced the perimeter of Storybrooke. Taking her shoes off, Gen let her toes sink deep into the compact sand and strolled close to the waters edge.

Although it was cooler with the changing of leaves, she didn't mind the brisk waves rolling over her toes. She picked up a few pebbles and watched as they skipped on the edge of the shoreline. Brushing the sand off of her hands and placing her shoes back on, Gen proceeded to the docks and watched the change in fishermen coming in and out of port.

A long silver chain always hung between her breasts anchoring a heavy rings. Lifting the chain out of her white sweater, Gen held the engagement and wedding rings that dangled within her hands. She took turns fitting the rings on different fingers and aimlessly spinning them around as she watched the horizon.

After the land of untold stories came to Storybrooke, it became a buyers' market. New craft homes and small picket fences filled the side streets. She admired each home and the families that lived inside as she trudged up one of the steepest hills in town. Genevieve began to slow her pace as she approached a three-story Victorian home. The house sat on a corner and stood tall with its blue shudders and light gray roof. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the Pending Sale sign that had been hammered into the front lawn for as long as she could remember.

She had entered the house once. Everything inside was decorated to poor taste. Neon colored walls, plastic-wrapped furniture, and pictures of clowns seemed to be the constant theme. But one room remained the same, the nursery.

Gen looked over her shoulder at the view of Storybrooke. The house was elevated enough that you could see the rooftops of shops on Main St. to the south; the tops of some trees in the dense forest to her west, and a great view of the sea to her east.

Making her way back down the Main Street, Genevieve stood within an alley between two stores. The alley had a great view of Granny's and it ended up being her favorite spot on the weekends. Like clockwork, the Nolan's stepped out of the diner. David popped the stroller open to assist Mary Margaret. They would both laugh at baby Neal's gurgles and coos as he fastened into his stroller.

Hand in hand, the happy family would walk down Main St. together and head to the park for a long afternoon. Genevieve watched, wishing to be by their sides.

"What a beautiful picture, is it not?" Gen did not flinch or lose her concentration as a woman in green joined her in the shadows. Her curled red locks were pulled up in a bun and her shoulders were covered in a black cloak to keep her warm in the autumn weather.

"Why don't you go and joy them? I'm sure they won't try to have you sedated again." Her deep laugh behind a tight smile annoyed Gen to no end. "I do believe it is my mayoral duty to ensure the safety of this town. How are those sessions going with the cricket?"

By now, the Nolan's walked out of view as they entered a small trail into the woods. Crossing her arms under her chest, Genevieve turned around to face the red head. "Why are you here?"

The mayor's smile soon faded as Gen's dry, emotionless response sounded much too cocky for her liking. "I think you know why. How is our little friend?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really? I have a certain folder missing documents that would say otherwise."

A malicious grin crossed Gen's lips and she gave a small shrug. "I know she's staying with you. Do you honestly think that's a good idea? You have seen what I can do."

"You don't scare me anymore. You should be the one to be afraid right now. She will end this and you will have to answer to everyone." The mayor waved a single finger into Genevieve's face.

"Oh no, darling. How do you expect her to end this if she doesn't even have the book?" Genevieve froze, trying to think of how to respond. Zelena didn't know about the book. This could be a great weapon to flaunt, but knowing her past and how Zelena would react, Genevieve shot her eyes up and looked confused.

"She doesn't have it?"

"Some plan. Your daft son couldn't even send enough magic to get her the book, just a bloody postcard. Within a week, your daughter will be on her way when she learns that her brother is truly dead. No trace of him."

Genevieve dropped her head in defeat. The less Zelena knew, the less obstacles there would be in breaking this curse. The red head held her stomach as she laughed her infamous giggles. "Did you honestly think you could best me?"

Zelena's cold hand gripped Genevieve's chin, squeezing the bottom of her cheeks tightly. Leaning forward, Gen could see a glimmer of her reflection in the mayor's red lips. With those red lips close to Gen's ears, her hoarse voice breathed out a whisper.

"Send my love to your pirate." Zelena flicked her hand off of the face it grasped sending Gen to regain her step from the force. She watched as the black cloak flew in the wind following its master up the street. Taking two steps back into the shadow, Genevieve headed toward the south end of the woods.

She knew war was coming and she would be ready for it.

Elle had stayed in the loft reading that day. She sat on the couch with her legs crossed and body alert. The dark curse was coming, rolling through the hills. Snow had just given birth to a baby girl, who was now cradled in her father's arms. Running down the hallway with a sword in one hand, a baby in the other, it was up to Prince Charming to make it to the cabinet.

Elle swallowed hard reading every word and feeling as if she were battling with prince by his side. "The prince closed the cabinet doors to hide his daughter. With hope on his side, he knew his family would be reunited. Looking down, the Prince watched a sword run through his chest-" Elle flipped the page and there was nothing.

"What?!" Her fingers ran down the spine of the open book and felt the remains of torn paper. "Someone ripped these out"

Elle looked down frustrated at Oliver as if he could answer this puzzle for her. "So, the prince dies. There's a plot twist. I thought this book was about happy endings."

Elle shoved the next empty page to the side irritated. The long page lifted and slowly drifted down to reveal a new story. A young boy sat on a bus with the same book in his lap. She leaned closer to the image with narrowed eyes to see if the cover had any different design patterns. It couldn't be the same book, right?

Gen's sheer curtains flew high in that moment as a strong gust of wind flew into the room. Elle quickly stood up to close the windows. The days were growing shorter and a dark blanket of stars covered the sky much earlier. Slamming the window shut, Elle saw someone familiar walking by.

Genevieve had passed her own apartment and continued toward the forest at the end of the street. She looked over her shoulder every so often as if she did not want to be followed. This was too suspicious for Elle's liking. Grabbing her book and placing it in her bag, Elle made way down the stairs and tried to make it to the street in time.

Throwing her green hood over her head, she made sure to always stay behind at least 100 meters. Ever since last night, there was something in Elle's gut telling her there was an untold story. This woman was kind and generous, but purposefully keeping herself away from the town and its people. There had to be more to this.

The forest was dark and it took a bit of time for Elle's eyes to adjust. She would pause every so often behind thick tree trunks and watch Genevieve track through the woods. The deeper they went; the more suspicious Elle grew. She now understood the rumors of her performing seances here.

The deeper they walked, the harder it was to track. She watched her steps, trying not to make herself known through breaking leaves and twigs. There was always a suppressed fear she would run into a bear or wolf. The only thing that she could make out through the darkness at this point was the bright blonde hair swaying back and forth through the trees.

A faint glow of red began to appear on the edge of the forest. Elle watched as Genevieve exited through an open patch of bushes and disappeared into the building. Hopping a log and dodging a dirt mound, Elle released herself from the forest and stood under the entrance to a hospital. The red plus sign and white shinning letters labeling the emergency entrance bewildered her.

The fluorescent lights shocked her body and she rubbed her eyes a little to regain focus. The open layout was a blessing to Elle as she was able to see Genevieve walk to the back of the room and take a hard right. Quickening her steps, Elle maneuvered her way around the doctors and trays to follow. Turning right, Elle stopped in her tracks.

Genevieve leaned against the wall with her arms folded waiting for the young girl to turn the corner. She could have been wrong, but Elle thought Genevieve looked impressed. "Out for a stroll?"

"Hey! So funny running into you here. Of all places." Elle scratched behind her right ear trying to avoid eye contact. She didn't know how to explain herself out of this one and looked around as if to find inspiration.

Gen responded with a cocked eye brow. "mm-hm." Pressing the elevator button, Gen motioned for Elle to join her as the doors opened. She selected the fourth floor and the yellow light shone behind the number. "So, you moonlight as a doctor or something?"

Gen released a small laugh as she watched Elle try to break the awkward silence. Elle was truly trying to read the situation and see if she still had a bed for the night. "Something like that." Gen responded with a sympathetic smile.

Reaching the fourth floor, Elle followed Gen to the right wing of the hospital. They followed the blue line that led to the ICU and stopped at the front desk. A nurse in white stopped scribbling in a patient's chart when Genevieve reached the table.

"Gen, you're here. Some of the nurses started to worry since you haven't been in here the past two days." Gen started to take her coat off and hang it behind the counter. "I know. I just had a lot on my plate. As my apology, I brought an extra volunteer for the night."

The nurse turned to Elle with enthusiasm as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, how wonderful. We can use all the help."

Gen reached into one of the nurse's drawers and pulled out a laminated lanyard that read _Volunteer_ with her name typed below. Gen handed a stick-on name tag for Elle to complete. Elle could tell by how comfortable Gen was behind the nurse station and the warm greetings from nurses passing by- she was a regular.

Automatic sliding doors opened into the ICU. Elle froze in the middle of the room as Gen walked over to the first bed. There were so many injured patients. One had their entire leg in a cast, suspended in the air. One man had his entire torso wrapped in bandages and slept as if dreaming were painful. A woman had the top of her head wrapped and other were hidden under blankets but had enough medicine going into their system for Elle to know they were recovering.

She watched Elle readjust a man's pillow and place a hand on his chest to ensure he was comfortable. Gen placed an arm around Elle's shoulder and guided her to the next bed. "You do this every day?"

Taking a water pitcher from between two patients, Gen freshened up a woman's glass on her bedside table. "I do."

Elle felt a welt blanket of guilt cling over her. She was so used to seeing the worst in people, waiting for them to let her down. Genevieve had been so kind and sincere the past couple of days and it was Elle to automatically find something wrong with her. Watching this woman do a selfless act and know she does it every night, Elle couldn't help but erase the feeling in her gut that something was off. It was time for her to give the benefit of the doubt.

"Do you know what happened to everyone?"

Gen folded up a blanket at the end of a patient's bed to create more warmth at his feet. "I know all of them. A majority are from the war." Elle furrowed her brow thinking of the war currently happening overseas. How random that some came to Storybrooke, but Genevieve was not speaking of the war outside of the town. As the green cursed smoke swallowed this town, there was another war happening. And now all of these fighters had to suffer everyday in their wounds. She owed them everything.

Gen looked up to her left but did not find Elle standing by her side anymore. Each patient's bed was side by side, expect for one. Elle walked down the middle aisle to a private room. There was little privacy as the room was all glass. A single man laid asleep in the middle.

"Who is that?"

Genevieve joined the young girl at the glass door as Elle studied the man's face. His rich dark brown hair accented his dark features. A tight, stubbled beard drew across his strong jawline. He had large bandages on his neck and wrapped bandages on his left arm.

Genevieve's voice was cracked, as if it hurt to speak. "John Doe."

Elle proceeded into the room without invitation and observed him closer. His hair color was similar to hers. He looked so peaceful sleeping. "You mean no one knows who he is?" She looked to Gen exasperated. How could no one realize their family member was missing?

Gen didn't reply right away. She walked over to his right hand and entwined her fingers within his. "No." She was short in her response, trying not to let her emotions get to the better of her.

Elle found a stack of paperback books collecting beneath his end table. Picking up a few, she read the titles out loud. " _On Stranger Tides, Cup of Gold, Captain Blood, Treasure Island._ I'm seeing a theme."

Gen shined a big smile brushing her thumb back and forth on his hand. "I think he likes them."

"You read to him?"

"It's part of my many duties here. I don't mind it." Gen raised a finger from her free hand to lightly brush the hairs above his beard. "And it looks like he needs a shave."

Elle looked down as she felt her cheeks warm and turn red. This seemed like a very intimate moment between a volunteer and a guy in a coma. She didn't know why she felt so embarrassed.

The same nurse from the front gave a few knocks on the glass door as she popped her head in. "Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt, but could I steal Genevieve for a quick second? Scotty is refusing to take his medication again. But I know his favorite volunteer could persuade him."

Gen looked back to the patient and to Elle as if she didn't want to leave the two alone. Elle dropped her backpack to her side and unlatched the top. "Don't worry about me. I'm here to volunteer remember? Maybe he would want to take a break from some of the pirate books."

Elle pulled out her leather-bound book and cradled it against her chest. "You go. I'll be here when you get back."

Gen's eyes glowed with excitement seeing the book in Elle's arms. "I think that is… perfect." Giving one final look over her shoulder at the two dark haired beauties, Gen took in a deep breath and felt something wonderful open in her chest.

Elle moved to the side of the man that had no bandages. For some reasons it made her uncomfortable seeing someone this vulnerable. Pulling up a chair to the right side of his body, she propped her legs up on the end table next to him. At first, she pursed her lips wondering if this was disrespectful having her muddy boots so close to his head. She angled herself so that the end of her boots faced the machines measuring his heart rate, and this seemed much better.

Plopping the cover open and folding the black silk bookmark above, Elle began to read where she left off. A boy in search of his birth mother.

Elle peeked up at the comatose man sleeping next to her. It was eerie how still he was.

She continued to lightly read the words of the boy's adventure to Boston and the exhilaration he felt in his first taxi cab. He approached a door with scrolls of cursive in hopes that someone was home.

Elle stopped. A large hot ball began to form in her stomach and slowly roll up her throat. This was it. As if she were chocking on her own words, she released a simple whisper. "My mom."

Swallowing the dry fire that built within her throat, she felt the butterflies in her stomach turn to bats. A name stood alone below a picture of a blonde woman in a red dress looking down on a boy with a striped scarf. She had regained her voice and read the name aloud.

"Emma Swan."

Without a moment's pause, Elle let out a large gasp as the man's hand flew off his bed and onto the book.


	6. Chapter 6

She felt so small. Doctors, residents, and nurses had been running around slowly pushing her to the back of the room. There were so many faces, so many voices talking over one another. Twisting her fingers anxiously, she watched one doctor pull on the man's eye lids and wiggle a pencil thin flashlight into his pupils.

As one nurse quickly jotted notes down into the chart, another doctor prodded the man's foot with a needle and watched for a reaction. Nothing. A few minutes ago, this man laid in peace alone in the back of the ICU. Now, he had so many hands on him, you couldn't even see the grey hospital gown he slept in.

"Hands off the patient. I just got the page, what's happening here." Everyone froze in their positions and hovered their hands above the body. A strong presence walked through the door with bleach blonde hair. Although he wasn't the tallest in the room, he towered over all the others. The girl inferenced he was off duty when his page came in as he was still placing his white coat over his shoulders and pinning his badge to his chest. _Dr. Whale M.D._ His head scanned the room, making eyes with each individual to see who was attending to the situation.

With a quick snap of his fingers, he pointed to the young girl in the corner of the room. "Who are you?" An intern close-by popped her head up from the small notebook she scribbled notes in. "She was with the patient, sir."

Without a second look, Dr. Whale instructed the intern to escort the girl out. Being pulled out of the room by her left elbow, she looked over her shoulder for her bag and book. During the commotion, one of the doctors must have kicked it off to the corner of the room, but she couldn't find it. The glass door to the private room slowly shut with a heavy sounding clasp. From within the room, the intern guided a periwinkle blue curtain closed across the glass windows.

The main ICU room that held everyone else in recovery had been dimly lit for the night. There was a comforting red beam of light that came from the emergency exit near the stock cabinets. Some curtains had encased the patients and others were left open. She stood alone in the middle of the room feeling her hands tremble.

From the moment the man's hand fell onto the book, her heart had not stopped racing. Boots clacking on the tile slowly approached from the main hallway and she waited. Genevieve turned the corner with two bottled waters and a bag of chips from the vending machine. The girl watched as the blonde walked in, deep in her thoughts. She was smiling at the floor as she followed the blue line into the main ICU room, as if she were in a great daydream.

Soon, the bottles of water were out of Gen's hands and crashing to the floor. Her mouth drew open in fear as she witnessed the blue curtain host a play of shadows moving frantically around the patient inside.

"Elle! What happened." Elle's eyes continued to watch the water bottles bounce off the tile creating small bubbles inside that shook back and forth. "I… I don't…" Elle found herself stuttering. She honestly didn't know what happened. One second, she was learning her mother's name and the next a comatose man was reaching out to her.

Gen's heart began to sink. The young girl in front of her was not helping ease the horrible thoughts in her head. What if Zelena had found out she was lying to her this morning and this was her punishment. It wouldn't have been the first time she tried to kill the one-handed pirate.

Gen grabbed Elle by both shoulders and gave her a shake. "What happened!"

"One minute I was reading to him and the next he…" Elle stopped and looked back over her shoulders. The shadows behind the curtain showed a scene of doctors standing back at the foot of the bed as one doctor moved one arm slowly back and forth at the patient's head.

Gen gave one harder shake. "He what? What happened."

Elle jerked her head around quickly to look Genevieve in the eyes. Sounding as hopeful as she could, Elle released a small smile. "He moved. He reached out. He moved."

Gen stumbled back two paces freeing her hands from Elle's shoulders and placing one hand on her heart; another over her mouth. She turned herself around so Elle could not see the rollercoaster of emotion channeling through her face. _He moved_.

The sound of metal rings rolling and clinking together peaked Elle's attention. One of the doctor's pulled the curtain to one side as the other team members dispersed from the room mumbling in low tones. Both Elle and Gen cocked their heads to the side and raised to their toes to see if the patient was up and well. He was not.

Elle could feel her brows and eye scrunch together confused at the image that lay before her. Why wasn't he awake? She felt Gen's arm wrap around her side and pull her in a little tighter. Looking up, Elle knew the hug was not for her. Gen's eyes remained emotionless and her lips frowned down at the ends. She hid it well, but Elle knew Gen was a little broken inside.

A single nursed stayed behind to make sure the heart monitor screen dimmed and to turn the lights out before closing the glass door. Gen and Elle followed some of the doctors out toward the brightly lit hallway where the nurse's station remained busy. A congregation of white coats and blue scrubs surrounded the bleach blonde doctor.

He did not look happy. From what Elle could tell, they were talking about her. Some faces would look back at her and others stayed focused on Dr. Whale. The nurse that had greeted them on their arrival gave a reassuring wink from her station. As she was closer to the group of doctors talking, this solidified that there were unkind words.

Elle made eye contact with Dr. Whale as he stared at her with irritation. Now, all Elle could feel was guilt. What if she overreacted? This probably happens all the time. She might as well have stubbed her toe and screamed bloody murder. Whale took his coat off and folded it over his arm. He had taken his phone out of his pocket to check his messages.

The nurse had pulled Gen's jacket off the coat rack and headed their way. "I think volunteering is going to end a little bit early tonight."

Gen released her arm from Elle and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "What did they learn?" The nurse looked over her shoulder knowing she shouldn't be sharing any information. "It's just a common reflex that happens in some comatose patients with brain injuries. Sometimes they open their eyes, sometimes they have tremors…" She continued on, but Elle didn't want to hear it. It was obvious she was no doctor, but what she saw was real. It felt real. Signaling to Gen that she needed to get her bag, Elle headed back to the patient's room.

The automatic doors to the ICU closed behind her. It was unnerving to walk among sleeping, crippled patients in the dark. She bent down to pick up the fallen water bottles and the sound of the crackling plastic in her hands stood out among the heavy breathing and heart rate monitors.

John Doe's room was the darkest. Natural moonlight was diminished from the blinds and the blue curtains hung heavy against the glass window to hide the light of machines in the main room. Closing the glass door behind her, Elle brushed her hovered foot back and forth around the area she had left her bag. She extended her arm under the bed to feel for the cracked leather skin. Slowly approaching the night stand, she could feel the chord to the lamp.

If she learned anything tonight- even if she disagreed- it was that this man was out. He was not going to be waking up anytime soon. It wouldn't hurt to turn a light on. Elle's hand felt for the lamp and let her fingers trace up the glass base to the light bulb. Finding the switch, a small 60-watt bulb lit up the room. Adjusting to the light, Elle looked down and found her bag and book kicked off behind the window curtains. She squatted down to her knees and placed the book back in its holder and tightened the metal clasp on her bag. With one arm scooping up a strap, Elle turned back to the nightstand. Feeling for the switch, she stopped.

Her head slowly followed her eyes to the right. An IV drip hung off the bed with a small drop of blood attached to the needle and tape. An indent on the pillow was still slowly rising to create a flat surface. The bed sheets were thrown off to the side and the mattress exhibited an imprint of a body. John Doe was gone.

Elle whipped her body around not knowing if he was standing behind her. Nothing. Her heart began to thump so loud that she could feel her whole body pulsate. She slowly walked back to the brightly lit hallway, still squeezing the water bottles in her hand. Elle dragged her feet to the automatic glass doors and waited for the sensor to recognize her.

Entering back into the hallway, the conversations were still flowing. "He's gone." Elle's voice was weak.

Gen sat up more attentive as she noticed Elle's sluggish walk and slow-moving lips. "He's gone." Her voice grew a few more octaves this time, but still no one heard.

Dr. Whale gave one more irritated glance back to the young girl and sounded to his team. "Page me when a real emergency happens."

"The patient is gone." Elle's voice was hoarse and loud, stopping everyone and everything around her. Even though she didn't notice the ringing phones before, she swore the phones went silent when she spoke.

One minute. For 60 seconds everyone stared at her in confusion. As if the second hand on the clock orchestrated the next event, the herd of doctors stormed passed Elle at the one-minute mark toward the patient's room.

Genevieve and Elle were the only ones to remain at the nurse's station. She turned to Gen and found the same face she saw before- emotionless eyes and lips that frowned at the ends. They stared at one another in silence as the commotion continued behind them. Elle threw her hands up defensively. "I didn't do it. I swear."

Sheriff Nolan pulled up to the ER entrance with a screeching halt. Bright red and blue lights shining in quick circles from the roof of the car reflected onto Elle's and Genevieve's face. They stood alongside the staff outside of the hospital doors, on the edge of the forest. David's head popped out his car door with a face that exuded an unwelcomed surprise.

"Do you have an update?" The urgency of this situation had no time for greetings. Dr. Whale had slouched his head down and shook his chin back and forth; avoiding any eye contact with the sheriff.

"I don't understand how this happened. How does a coma patient just get up and walk away?"

"With his feet, I'd gather" Elle mumbled beneath her breath. She never liked tense and serious situation such as these. Although, this was definitely an out of the ordinary situation, Elle was good at separating herself away with humor. It was just one more wall she was good a building up. Genevieve shot a hard elbow into Elle's side to shut her up as the sheriff looked around for the voice. Pulling on the end of Elle's jacket, Gen dragged her a few steps away from the group and they stood near the trunk of the sheriff's car.

"Don't you have staff on call?" Whale rolled his eyes knowing he was going to be to blame for this debacle. "I do."

"And where were they when this happened?" Whale uncomfortably scratched the back of his neck. "They were with me after we assessed the patient's state."

"Assessing? Assessing for what?" Whale now knew he was going to have a long night with the sheriff. He placed his hands together as if he were praying and lifted his finger tips to his lips. "He was said to have… flinched."

David raised his eyes in surprise and displeasure. He looked over to the rest of the staff and they too sunk their heads down to stare at the ground. Elle sucked in her lips trying not to speak up. It was definitely not a flinch. She looked up at Gen, who still held on to her jacket. Gen had remained silent and emotionless since the empty bed was announced to everyone. She still remained emotionless and watched as Whale sweat in his boots.

"Flinched. An entire staff rushed to his room because he flinched." With a heavy sigh, Whale proceeded on. "Maybe it was a little more than a flinch. I don't know I wasn't there." Whale quickly darted his eyes to the young girl with more resentment than before. As she stood by the car's trunk, close to darkness, the flashing blue and red lights only shot small silhouettes of her short petite body. It may have been hard for him to see her, but she had a clear view of him. _Doctors really are self-righteous; aren't they?_

"How long has it been since the patient went reportedly missing." A male nurse from the back of the group hugged the patient's chart to his chest. "20 minutes, sir."

David placed both hands on his hips and looked to his right to think of the situation. Elle was positive this small town had not experienced something like this before. "We need to put the hospital on lockdown, now." His voice roared enough to make a few doctors throw their heads back at the sound.

Sheriff Nolan led the group of the doctors back toward the automatic doors, but they stopped. A very short man with a thin buzzcut ran toward everyone with one hand hugging a laptop and another on his belt. "Stop! We need to go out there!" Releasing his hand from his belt, he pointed ambiguously at the town.

The hospital security officer was in a navy-blue uniform with a single tool in his belt- a flashlight. Even with enough distance, Elle could make out the dark bags under his drowsy eyes. He had been sleeping on the job. The group now focused their attention on the laptop that the officer held in his arms.

It was hard to make out from where they stood, but the black and white video showed a man slowly walking out of a glass room. He stopped in the middle of the ICU and looked all around him. Something had grabbed his attention to his right. The video's poor quality could not define his face, but there was a beam of light that shined brighter as he walked toward it. Elle thought back to when she stood in his place. "There was an emergency exit." Elle whispered out loud to confirm it with herself and with Gen. Looking up, Gen remained silent and emotionless.

The screen quickly changed as the man took one step at a time down the stairs. The camera angles continued to change at every floor as he made his way down. Landing on the first floor, there was an option to walk toward the basement where the morgue had resided. Everyone leaned in closer in hopes he chose to stay in the building. But the man continued to walk right out the exit as if he knew where he was going. The surveillance changed once more from a high angle. A small stick that resembled the man continued out of the hospital, passed the dumpsters, and into the woods.

David was the first to speak after the camera continued its loop. "He's not in the hospital. We need to put a search team together." Whale threw his head back as if he were asking God 'why me?' The staff's mouth drew busy at all different tones as David spoke to someone over his walkie talkie that he had unclipped from his belt.

Elle's eyes shot to the right as her head stayed straight. A small whisper crossed Gen's lips, "Killian?" Her gut told her that whisper was not meant for her ears. Before she could look up, David grabbed everyone's attention with his arms in the air.

"Everyone! Quiet Down! We need to act fast for the patient's safety. I have called in reinforcements from the town to come meet us here in 10 minutes. We will need to split into three groups to track all of the forest. It will be a long night. I will need two volunteers to lead the other two groups." A few hands raised within the staff.

"We need medical equipment that can travel. We don't know what state he will be in when we find him."

Elle looked back to Genevieve to see if she had an inkling to search the forest, but she was gone. Rustling of bushes and a snap of a twig turned Elle around. A long ponytail whipped back and forth past a set of trees and continued deeper into the forest. She looked back at the crew to see if anyone else had heard or seen the exit of her friend. The commotion was too much for anyone to even notice. Elle slowly took steps backward into the forest to not alert anyone's suspicion. She waited until she was deep enough in the dark to turn around and sprint toward the blonde hair.

"Where are you going?" Elle screamed a whisper as she juggled her eyes adjusting to the darkness and her foot catching on an uplifted tree root. Grasping both leather straps tight against her shoulders, Elle took off as fast as she could to keep up with Genevieve. Both jumped fallen tree trunks, ducked low hanging branches, and survived a hard sprint down slope. Slowing down a little, Elle could make out some lampposts and houses to her left. It had been the area they first entered the woods earlier that night.

Genevieve took a hard right, in the opposite direction and continued to run. "You're going the wrong way!" Elle stopped and slouched her shoulders watching Gen take off deeper into the forest. Rounding her shoulders forward, she grasped the bag tighter. It was one thing to run in the forest in the middle of the night when you had no idea where you were going. It another thing to do that with a 20 lb. book in your bag that was on the brink of ripping apart.

There was a small slope up that ventured into an area that was lush with grass and fewer trees. By the time Elle made it up to the slope, she took a second to gather her breath as she realized the run down led back into dense forest. "This girl must run marathons or something."

Cupping her hand to her mouth, Elle let out a few shouts. "Oh, don't worry about me. Just keep going." Placing a hand on her hip she continued to watch the blonde disappear behind trees. "She's like the freaking energizer bunny."

Taking her straps once more in her hands, she began a steady jog down the hill. Passing the threshold into the forest once more, Elle looked around and only saw darkness. The blonde hair that she followed, like a rogue GPS, had outran her. She stood still trying to trace her steps and thought of where to go. A snap of a twig behind her threw her head to the right. Rustling of leaves on high branches threw her head to the left. An owl sang its ominous song causing Elle to feel small again.

She popped her head up trying to trace a new sound in the distance. Clacking of boots slamming down one after the other on pavement. Genevieve was running close by. The clacking echoed between tree trunks and surrounded her, but she followed to her best ability. Soon there was light once more.

Spreading pine tree branches apart, Elle stepped out and found herself behind a wooden building. A security light beamed on a painting of a tuna can advertisement on wooden stacks that had seen better days. A breeze swept in between the different shacks and she wafted in the smell of seaweed and salt water. She was at the docks; a different area that she had yet to explore, but she was at the docks.

Elle followed the single path of pavement that led out to the port. Turning a corner, she found Genevieve standing at the top of a ramp that led down to a floating dock. A single lamppost arched down above her highlighting her blonde hair.

"What the hell are we-" Elle's eyes swelled as she saw a figure of a man standing on the edge of the water. In that moment, it didn't matter how they had gotten there or how Genevieve knew where to look. "We need to help him!"

Elle pulled on Gen's sleeve to bring her down to the docks, but she did not budge. Genevieve stood tall like a statue with a small pool of tears sitting on the edge of her lids. "He could fall in! He could be hurt!" Gen did not respond. She did not move.

Elle threw her arms up frustrated. It was as if she wasn't even there. Dropping her bag to Gen's feet, Elle rolled her shoulders, releasing them of the weight that burdened down on them during the run. "I'll do it."

Walking down the ramp, she led with one foot at a time. It was high tide and the waters were choppy. Dark clouds had rolled in and hid the moon from spreading its natural light. The darkness made the water look like thick tar bobbing up and down, close to the dock's edge. The floating dock was not grounded below. It floated atop the water causing it to bob and peak with water beneath it.

Elle walked forward, widening her gait. She raised her arms for balance as the waves were becoming a challenge. "Hey!" The man stood still at the dock's end staring into the dark waters. He stood erect and his legs were close together, arms by his side. "Hey, Mister!"

She took a few steps closer. The man was barefoot and still in his grey hospital gown. A large wave motioned underneath them causing Elle to stop and focus on her balance. She watched as the man stood perfectly still as the wave peaked and rolled to the side. It was as if he were immune to the ocean's moves. The wave continued passed and collided with a side of a boat. The remains of water from the crash spilled out onto the dock.

She took two more steps closer. "Hello!" There was still no response. Elle stopped and looked over her shoulder at the blonde woman in the spotlight. Her body a statue but her eyes were in tears. _She knew him. That, or she grew really attached to a guy that likes his sleep._

Elle looked back to the man on the water's edge. She remembered the name whispered. The name she didn't know she was supposed to hear. "Killian?" For the first time, the man's head turned to the right. His chin met his shoulder as he peered over. His body remained squared up toward the water, but she at least got his attention.

"Okay." She breathed relieved. "Killian. You need to walk toward me." Strong breezes whirled past them and Elle was thankful for zipping up her jacket. "Killian."

He turned his body to the right looking around confused. Elle took another step closer and she was within arm's reach. "For a man that's been a coma, you're pretty mobile."

He opened his thin lips for the first time. "Where's my boat?" Elle's eyes widened in surprise. This was not something she expected to hear. "Your bo… your boat?" She looked around confused too. "Um, I don't really know."

Killian lifted a single finger and pointed to a small rowing boat in front of them that peaked up with a wave and down. "I left it right here. Where did she go?" Elle placed her hand over his right wrist.

"This would be a great conversation over there." Elle gave a small tug on his arm but he did not budge. "Killian, please." The man turned his head and their eyes connected. Elle could not help but breath in a sharp breath at his piercing blue eyes. He looked so lost. Elle gave one more gentle tug on his arm. "Come on."

She placed a hand on his back and held his other arm guiding him down the dock back to the ramp. Elle couldn't help but be relieved that she could withstand the waves holding onto him. Killian walked back with his head down and Elle gave a gentle rub on his back. Although she had never been in a coma and just magically awoke one day, she was very familiar with the feeling of being lost.

She looked up at Genevieve, who was now gripping tightly onto the dock. Elle released her hand from Killian's wrist and gave a thumb up. The ramp was more secure and stable than the dock making the walk back easier.

"I got him." Elle rolled her eyes at the ground even though she knew Genevieve was not staring at her. _No thanks to you._

Genevieve lowered her head trying to meet her eyes with his. She held onto her something beneath her sweater, gripping it tighter as Killian looked up. Elle awkwardly stood between the two waiting for the next set of directions. "So, are we going to bring him back or what?"

Her eyes darted between Killian and Genevieve. His lost eyes trailed up the boots that stood in front of him. He scanned up the black jeans, the thick white sweater, the hand that tightly grasped something between her breasts, and then to her face.

His lips lightly parted at the sight of her. He drew in a deep breath that seemed to awaken his soul. His lost eyes had disappeared and were replaced with something Elle could not figure out. It was as if Genevieve's face was a puzzle he was trying to solve. A puzzle he had the final piece to.

Genevieve quickly brushed away any spare tears that had remained on her cheeks. Her cheeks drew red and warm staring at him. At eyes she never thought she would see again. Gen's mouth was dry but she had to speak.

She released a small laugh and spoke with a cracked voice. "Hi."

He too released a small laugh and smiled with a soft, hoarse voice. "Hi."


End file.
